Lentamente
by KeepingDaksAmari
Summary: 'I did it so you'd notice me.' I answered truthfully in my mind as I strode down the hall, passing my designated classroom altogether. Modern AU. Highschool. Slice of life (I guess?) Elsanna. Non-Incest
1. The Sentence

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It started with a look.

A simple look that would cause me to go against everything my mother had taught me. Maybe not. I didn't have one at the time and I don't think they explained _that_ kind of behavior to my poor widow of a father. It wasn't like he was a bad father, because none really are, (or so I'd thought at the time) but he just didn't know how to handle me sometimes. Since his wife, and my mother, got caught in the horrible, life-stealing middle of a ten car pile up two winters ago, he just wasn't the same.

Neither was I.

Now I'd heard of Elsa Mariani. Her name came up many a times in conversations around the school, but I just didn't know _who_ it belonged to. Though when I eventually saw her, I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my head began to feel a little dizzy. Her smile was actually the first thing I noticed. It was crooked and a bit awkward, but it only added to the amazing charm she exuded from a distance.

The next thing I noticed was her gentle accent. I honestly had no real idea what she was talking about because I was way too focused on the slight caress of each word as it left her entrancing mouth. _Did she say something about the school?_ I didn't have time to ponder much as her eyes inadvertently swept over mine. They were blue. Crazy, electric blue. Like the color of a glacier. And her hair? The only way I could describe it was the snowy white of a mountain under the moonlight. It also looked as soft as silk.

She was, in a word: _Gorgeous_.

I was very nearly stupefied and when the students around me suddenly began to clap as she gave a courteous bow, my eyes finally had to look away. _What happened? Is she done?_ When the beauty dismounted the podium, I felt unfamiliar tingles run all down my body to the tips of my fingers from possibly sitting in the same position the whole time. But that would have been a downright lie because it also felt like I'd been struck by Cupid's arrow all of a sudden. _Wow._ And that was besides the point.

Apparently, Elsa had just become our new Student Council President.

* * *

As the days progressed, so did my interest in the girl that caught me by surprise.

In just a few days I could already see that Miss President was actually quite popular whether she wanted to admit it or not. She even had a small group of fangirls that began to follow her wherever she went. It was like _everyone_ wanted her attention and it was a little pathetic, really.

Me? I had no problem keeping myself in check. Of course, that didn't mean that _I_ didn't want her attention either. Alas, I chose to keep my distance and admire her from afar. And from that afar seat, I could pay attention to the smaller details. Such as: the subtle flash of irritation that would pass through those fetching eyes when those clingy girls got too close. Even right into the girls' style room! There was also the smallest hint of shyness that would manifest on her pretty face when some guy would be so bold as to flirt openly with her. It was one of my favorite looks because it let whoever paid attention (like me) know she was human.

Everyone knew Elsa Mariani, but nobody truly _knew_ who she was. Sure, they had personal and painfully obvious details down: like she drove a cobalt blue beetle, her mom was an accountant and her dad worked at _Callaway Cars_ , she could play the piano, and other numerous nuggets people passed from one to another. But no on knew there was _more_ to her than all that.

They couldn't see, couldn't hear, the underlying sadness in her beautiful voice and eyes when she would smile widely at the people closely resembled her friends and tell them all that she was doing fine. I say 'resembled' because they would talk to her more than most, but I never saw them actually hanging around like actual friends would. (Unless she preferred to be alone, I didn't exactly know.)

I may have picked those things up, but that was still on the same level as the school. What we knew and observed from Elsa Mariani was only scratching the surface. I wanted to know more about her and that wasn't all. I found myself wanting _her_ to notice _me._ Of course, I wouldn't be trying to _break through_ aforementioned surface without warning.

...Kidding.

* * *

"Wh- Anna! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Kristoff practically screamed in panic. "Put that down!"

I ignored him. "Wait. You must give a speech!" Olaf pushed him away and stood in front of me, making me crane my head down to look at him with a raised brow. He fixed me with a goofily serious look. "Since the dawn of time, the balance of good and evil has been-"

"Yeah, it's not working." I chuckled, cutting him off and nudging him away with my elbow. "And don't you two stand there all judgmental and tell me _not_ to. You know as well as I do that they've gone and turned this place into a prison!" I declared defiantly and raised my hand over my head. "As your leader, I cannot stand-"

" _Pffft!_ " Kristoff waved me away, muttering that I 'wished' I the leader. Even though he was acting like that, I knew he was still ready to pounce when the time called for it. I just needed to take him off guard just as quickly.

"Anyway." I huffed. _"_ I can't stand idly by anymore while they trample us like weeds." I wasn't actually mad at the new rules the student counsel had just reinforced, but Kristoff and Olaf needed _some_ sort of reason. Something else to make them believe I was mad at the school system and not...

Hans Marsden.

That guy was gorgeous too, actually. And innocent, nonetheless. He had actually done _nothing_ to deliberately annoy me, but I was still annoyed. Something told me that it was misplaced anger directed at him. Hans. The student counsel vice-president and Elsa's apparent best friend. _Crap, I think I just found the answer. So much for no actual friends._

Anyway, this day had started out all wrong. First, I was pretty late to school because my dad and I overslept. No time for breakfast and it turned out that I'd forgotten my school bag (with homework in it.) No homework meant lunch detention for me and since I was caught chewing gum in the same class, I had to stay for after school detention.

So there I was, heading to my dreaded lunch detention with the man whose shirt was always one size too small, it seemed, when I noticed two girls at the far end of the hall. Coming toward me. I honestly stopped breathing as that platinum blonde hair came into a clearer view. _Oh man._ Keeping my head down, eyes glued to the floor, I was determined to pass right by them and scuttle off down the hall to my doom. However, I knew that plan was useless once I heard their footsteps draw closer and I suddenly couldn't stop my eyes as they automatically shot up to look at her.

I was mildly alarmed when Elsa suddenly looked back at me with the warmest of smiles. Frozen on the spot, I had no idea how to respond. Do I smile? Nod? Be a human and say 'Hi?' But before I could even think about possibly doing one of those, Miss President opened her mouth and uttered a different name from those soft looking lips of hers. "Hans!"

 _Hans!?_ My awkwardness suddenly turned into a frown. Disappointment to anger and that lead me right back to the outside of the student council meeting room. With a brick in hand.

"Anna, be reasonable." Olaf tried, more calmly, to settle me down to no avail. "You already spent more than enough time here at school, so let's get some pizza, eh?"

"Yeah, we can send them a letter or something _other_ than a brick to the boardroom if it bothers you so much." It was Kristoff's turn to reason. "Seriously, Anna. What if Gerda's in there? Or Kai? What if you knock one of them out?"

"Aw, where's both of your senses of adventure?" I asked with a moronic grin and then hurled the brick with all my might, making it crash right through the window. The deafening sound reverberated like a gunshot across the quad, making the two nearly jump out of their skins.

Olaf ran away first, leaving Kristoff to toss me over his shoulder and then we ran for our lives from the scene of the crime. It was stupid, yes, but I had to laugh out loud. _I've never felt so alive!_

* * *

"Excuse my interruption."

We all looked up from our notes to the front of the classroom where the student counsel's treasurer stood. I felt my stomach drop suddenly when his eyes searched the room only to land on mine. _Well, it HAS been about a week._ "I'm here to bring Anna Crescent to the boardroom." He finished, making me virtually sit up straight in my chair as a chill ran down my spine. In front of me, Olaf had turned to give me his deer-in-the-headlights look, which didn't help at all.

"Anna Crescent?" Mr. Berkins called out.

"Right here." I answered before shoving my books back into my bag, knowing I wouldn't see the light of day again after this.

"Come with me, please." Kai said, fixing his thick-rimmed glasses in the process.

Inwardly sighing, I followed him out of the classroom and then down the hall to the boardroom. On the way, I blew my bangs out of my face. "So...did I win something?" Drawled my voice as I readjusted the strap on my shoulder.

"I think you know what this is about." Kai barely contained a chuckle, but said nothing more until we reached the door. After he knocked, he turned back and gave me a reassuring smile. "May the odds be ever in your favor."

I furrowed my brow at his sudden nerdiness and continued to stare even after he walked away. _I wonder what district he'd hail from._ Snorting to myself, I turned the knob and took a bold step into the room.

To my surprise, the only one there was none other than the queen herself. _Queen? Not president?_ She was sitting behind her desk that had a few stacks of paper on it. "U-uhh. Hey?" Not knowing what else to say, I cleared my throat awkwardly and stepped further into the room.

"Anna Crescent, right?" Elsa's lightly accented voice filled said room with sweetness.

"Y-yeah. Yes." I couldn't stop myself from fidgeting, but I thankfully was able to shut up before my mouth ran away from me.

She didn't smile. "Have a seat, Miss Crescent." I assumed she meant the chair directly in front of her, so I dropped my bag and did just that. Those electric eyes of hers instantly began to look me over, causing my face begin to burn with embarrassment. It was odd since nobody had ever openly done that to me before. "You don't look like the rebel type." Elsa began with amusement twinkling in her big bright eyes.

"And just what is one supposed to _look_ like?" I successfully held in my scoff. A delicate brow rose on Elsa's face before she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a sense of calmness that would make anyone uncomfortable. Like she had all the patience in the world to mess with me.

"Well..." She began with a nice drawl. "First off, I wasn't expecting a girl." Her elbow then came back to rest on the surface along with her chin in the palm of her hand. As she watched me with mild interest, I tried not to do the same to her. She just looked _so_ elegant! Her and all her beauty on her throne of sorts.

The thought alone had me wanting to push it. Maybe just a little. "Last I checked, _Anna_ wasn't a boy's name." I replied sassily.

That time she smiled, almost blinding me. "I actually didn't get your name until this morning." She answered sweetly.

I tried to keep up the tough act, because it was surprisingly easy. "looks like your officers aren't that sharp then."

"Think you could do better?" She challenged.

"Please." I waved her off nonchalantly. " _Sherlock_ is my middle name."

"I thought it was Leslie." Elsa deadpanned and I felt my face instantly begin to burn once again as she effortlessly shot me out of the sky.

"Y-you know what? Whatever." I coughed, turning to the side and away from her unfaltering gaze. "Aren't you supposed to be punishing me for my _rebellious_ deed or something?" I asked with a hint of mock annoyance.

"And this isn't punishment enough?" Her head tilted to the side, accent taunting me too. I could listen to her talk all afternoon, regardless that she was indeed punishing me with embarrassment.

"Are you going to tell me my credit score too?" I couldn't help but grin back at her. "Because that would be a little creepy."

"It's bad." She answered almost believing enough to make me second guess myself.

It made us stare at each other for a short contemplative minute. "I...underestimated your officers then." I shrugged, missing her smile and then leaned forward again. "What do you actually have for me?"

"You'll help the janitors by cleaning this room everyday after school." She answered right away and I was sure if I wasn't prepared for it, I would have gotten whiplash from the mood change. _Maybe I shouldn't have been as quick to get to this point too._

 _But still._ "I have band practice." I tried.

"Arendelle doesn't _have_ a band."

"I-I meant softball practice."

"The season hasn't started yet." She cracked half a smile. "Look Anna, you'll be cleaning this room until the end of the month, but if you do something like this again, your punishment will be more severe. Understand?" There was an almost cold resolve in her voice that made me bow my head in surrender. _Could be worse, I guess._

"Yes." I answered, trying not to feel rejected. Though, I had no logical idea where that feeling was coming from. Perhaps it was because that I was leaving her presence so early?

"Great. That'll be all then. You can go back to class now." Elsa nodded in finality before pulling the closest stack of papers to her so she could get back to work too. _Yeah._ She'd had enough of me.

With an arrogant bow of my own I then stood up and made my way out of the room. I'd just about closed the door when she called my name once more. "Why'd you do it?" She asked when I turned.

"Honestly?" I swept my eyes from her to the patched up window and then back. "I'd just watched _Purge Anarchy_ the night before and figured I'd make own one night of the year." I winked at her and then closed the door behind me, leaving her with whatever expression she saw fit to my ridiculous answer.

 _I did it so you'd notice me._ I answered truthfully in my mind as I strode down the hall, passing my designated classroom altogether.


	2. In a Week

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Monday.

"Anna! Anna Crescent!" I heard my name thunder across the hall, making me pause mid-step at the familiar pitch. _He's always one for an audience._

"Don't say it." Olaf hissed in my ear just as a grin manifested on my face when I turned around.

In the tug-of-war and chaos that was the high school corridor, everyone managed to turn around to look at us. My bad reputation seemed to spiral out of control from that last _break through_ and I found myself inadvertently going along with it for the sake of getting noticed by a certain someone. Whether it was the wrong way or not was unclear to me, but I just knew I was sort of liking it.

"WEASEL!" I waved like an idiot and shouted back. "Weaselton!" Almost everyone referred to him as that behind his back. So when I actually said it out loud, it easily got a few snickers and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun teasing him.

From where I stood, I could see his ears redden at the tips more than usual as his temper shortened substantially. Kristoff sent a glare my way and nudged me pointedly before we saw the principal impatiently gesture for me to follow him. "Anna, remember you don't want to start something stupid so early." Kristoff poked my forehead like I would listen to him.

"I would never." I smirked and walked away from them. But before I could get to the weasel, he was already scuttling away. I frowned at that. _Douchebag needs a hundred kids to block for him if he wants to be faster than me._ Plus, it wasn't that big a mystery to see where he was going. That would be the only place he could play his role of commander in chief!

 _Two can play this game._ With a playful smirk, I instantly pushed through the crowd for a bit until an opening presented itself for me. I used that to blend in with the flow of students, easily blowing past him, and then hauling butt down the hall that passed the cafeteria. From there, I cut to the right and sprinted up the stairs to the music room. It was the only hall I knew would be mostly empty this early and it was a definite straight shot to the weasel's office.

Once I was back down the other side of the stairs, I expertly weaved my way into his office and waved at his secretary like we were old friends. "I'm here to see The Weas- I-I mean, the principal." I stated half breathlessly to her before letting myself into his office and making myself comfortable behind his desk. In his chair.

After I managed to catch my breath and smoothed my bangs out of my eyes, I heard him huffing and puffing out there. _"I'm expecting Anna Crescent."_ He stated, making a mischievous smirk appear on my face. I missed what the secretary said, but I _did_ hear him say, _"She what?!"_ Loud and clear.

"Henry!" I exclaimed when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. "I'm so glad you could make it! Have a seat." I stood up to gesture to the seat in front of me with the same grin on my face. His nostrils flared, face so red it looked almost purple.

"Take your appropriate seat, Miss Crescent." He growled dangerously. I instantly backed off and moved around to the two guest chairs instead.

When he finally managed to sit down, I drawled. "So what, on this lovely earth, have I done to be embraced by your lustrous beauty today, sir?"

"What's this I hear about you picking fights with Ariel Simmons?" He asked right off the bat. _Great. Of all things._ I rolled my eyes, slumping in my chair.

"That wasn't my fault." I shrugged. "She was being a punk and ripping congratulatory posters down. Was I supposed to stand by and let her get away with it?" _No one disrespects Elsa Mariani on my watch._ "I mean. there _are_ 'No Bullying' posters set up all over the halls." And that's what she was doing. Ariel Simmons had been Elsa's rival for Student Council President. Of course she didn't have a chance and since she was an over all D-list, also a sore loser, she decided to take her misery out on anything representing our president. Too bad she was also one that wasn't woman enough to confront Miss Mariani on her own.

"So, you _didn't_ start it?" Weselton asked with a blank face. Whether he believed my claim or not was beyond me.

"That's what I'm saying." I noticed him take a few notes down on a post-it. When he put his pen down, he stared back at me, seemingly looking for some sort of fault in my demeanor. I had none. At the moment. It _was_ her that brought the fight, I'd just happened to have finished it.

We stared at each other for another short minute until he finally conceded. "I'm inclined to believe you." He wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"Wait, you do?" I asked in mild surprise. _That's a first._

"Yes." He huffed. "Besides, Miss Mariani seems to be so swamped nowadays so it would be foolish for me to send you to her for what appears to be something petty.

 _Your face is petty._ I purposefully kept that thought to myself and asked instead, "Can I go now?" getting up before he could ask about what else I'd been up to.

"Sure." He waved me off and I wasted no time in walking out.

* * *

Tuesday.

There was a sweet and soothing song playing in my ear that I suddenly had in my head and it was no wonder that I did. It was a nice balm for my sore heart.

 _'You're just a daydream away. I wouldn't know what to say if I had you. And I'll keep you a daydream away, just watch from a safe place so I never have to lose...'_

"Crescent, to your correct class. Now!" The angry coach bellowed at me like I wasn't already headed to the gym. But, it wasn't entirely _my_ fault that I took a detour. It was hers.

Elsa Mariani.

I _was_ walking to my correct class, but as soon as my eyes saw a flash of platinum blonde, my feet automatically followed in that direction. As they did everyday since I became somewhat infatuated with the pretty girl. _Somewhat._ _Yeah, that's the word._ The very sight of her made my heart beat like it was trying to create the newest BPM song, complete with the RPM of a motor and I'd felt that way right after she'd sentenced me to that stupid, not at all strenuous, task.

Actually, cleaning that boardroom was a piece of cake and even though I usually did it alone, there was a definite _want_ to see the President after-hours. During hours, anytime really. But that was all wishful thinking. Those wishful thoughts consisted of me walking into the boardroom, some secret classroom, pretty much anywhere to find her sitting gracefully behind her desk, or in a chair, and waiting for me.

"I said, now!" Coach snapped his fingers in my face. "Stop daydreaming!"

"I'm going!" I shot back at the body-builder of a man who was wearing a skin tight t-shirt that had the words, _TOUGH GUYS WEAR PINK_ printed on the front. "And isn't that shirt against school rules?" I had to ask, considering he was up in my face too.

"Don't think _I_ don't know you wear your uniform against the rules too." He replied just as condescendingly as I did.

"I just wear a sweater under my vest." I gestured to the clothes I was wearing. "It's one of the designated school colors, so what's the harm in that?"

"Do I need to send you to the office for blatant backtalk?" He grinned maniacally.

We had a stare down for all of two seconds before I relented. "No, big brother Iron Man, Sir." I said sarcastically and mock-saluted him before trudging on down the hall. Somewhere along the way, I felt my stomach drop when icy blue eyes suddenly caught mine. Seeing her slight disappointment made me realize she'd witnessed that unfortunate little scene. _Whoops._

The rest of school went by like that same fashion, however, I did try _not_ to cause any more ruckus than was necessary. I didn't need _another_ reason to spend time talking to Principal Weselton or getting sentenced to _more_ detention time with Count Grimsby and the ne'er do-wellers. Or _worse:_ having Miss Mariani get put in charge of punishing me again. _That_ was the last thing I needed at the moment.

* * *

Wednesday.

With everything in it's usual spot, my job was done for the night. _Finally_. I let out a long yawn and plopped down into a chair, resting my forehead on the cool surface with my mind no less clearer than when I first started cleaning. _Elsa, Elsa, Elsa._ Bringing my arms up, I cradled my face and instead, stared straight ahead to the newest window that had been installed a few days ago.

Although it felt like a few hours passed, the night was still fairly young. The sky darkened a bit more and I ended up closing my eyes. I felt sick. It wasn't a physical sickness either. It had to be emotional sickness because there was an anxious feeling that just wouldn't leave me alone. _Well, Anna. It's called a 'Crush' for a reason._ Sighing heavily, my eyes opened once again. _I should go._ Straightening back up, I used the chair behind me to pop the tense muscles of my back before I stood up.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I made my way to the door. Just as I reached for the handle, I immediately tilted my head in question when the knob moved on it's own accord. When the door began to open, I took a step back and watched curiously.

My heart jumped into fifth gear at the sight.

Obviously, Elsa Mariani clearly didn't expect anyone to still be there as a small ' _oh'_ escaped her pretty lips before she could stop it. Not knowing what to do, or how to feel suddenly, I shot my eyes to the floor while trying to ward off an impending blush of embarrassment. Or awkwardness. Something that had me feeling like an idiot even without her saying or doing anything.

"Um. Have you seen my paper work?" She asked with that light accent of hers.

"Yeah, y-yes I did." I stammered. "I left it on your desk." Gesturing back to said desk like she forgot where it was.

"Thank you." She replied, looking away before I brought my eyes back to her. We didn't make any sort of eye contact as she brushed past me. That evasive action alone made me flex my jaw in slight irritation and before I knew it, I was sprinting out of there like I was _the Flash_ himself.

* * *

Thursday.

 _Stupid. Idiot. Where does Kristoff get off on asking for dance lessons? Like I have the patience to teach him in three days._ I trudged down the hall after the majority of the students left so I could hurry and clean up so as to get back to that fool with two left feet. I pondered the few steps I knew he could handle while the boardroom came into view. _Maybe the Apache Step? Nah, basic dances to start off._ Personally, I preferred to mix it up a lot, but since Kristoff had trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time, I figured I'd take it easy on him.

 _I think he should start with-_ I inadvertently gasped in alarm once I opened the door to find Elsa sitting behind her desk. My mouth opened to begin apologizing when I noticed that her eyes were closed. _What? Is she asleep?_ To my chagrin, she was! _Huh. Must have worn herself out with that last meeting._ I could see that it was a meeting because of the state of the room. _Ugh. All that wasted paper._

Smacking myself mentally, I forgot about the mess and quickly found myself in a dilemma of sorts. _Should I wake her up?_ _Leave her?_ A closer look told me that she was, indeed, exhausted. And who could blame her? She lead all meetings, gave assistance, guidance and praise, kept the peace, stayed in contact with the faculty and administration, yadda, yadda. _You wonder why I respect her so._

Hesitantly, I took small steps closer and easily got entranced by watching the gorgeous girl sleep peacefully. My pulse quickened as I found myself standing right in front of the president. _So pretty._ My hand automatically came up to brush a few strands of platinum blonde hair that had fallen into her beautifully tempting face. _So soft._ She even _smelt_ amazing!

I was way too busy staring and when her eyes suddenly snapped open, I hadn't realized how close we actually were until I saw the subtle appearance of freckles dashed across her perfect nose. _When did I-_ "Uh-" I instantly jumped away, stumbling clumsily over a chair like a newborn deer in the process. "Y-you see I- there was a- a thing in your hair! I didn't mean to freak you out." Regardless that I was nearly doubled over in pain because my poor shin had collided with the stupid chair.

"That's fine." Elsa smiled gently before looking away from me to the open door. "It's already that late, huh?"

"Sort of." I successfully bit back my wince so I could stand properly, all the while wondering why she was acting so calm. Last I checked, she was basically brushing me off and wasn't that whole, staring right at you with my hands in your hair, the sort of thing that would elicit that kind of reaction? Especially from her?

"Right. I'll be out of your hair then." Elsa yawned, making me gulp thickly because it had to be the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. Realizing what I'd just thought, I shot my eyes to the floor as she finished gathering her papers, placed them in her bag and then elegantly left the room. My eyes suddenly lifted to follow her retreating form until she disappeared and once she did, I blew out the air I'd been holding since she woke up and slumped back into a random chair dejectedly.

 _Why won't you look at me?_

* * *

Friday.

It didn't matter that it was Friday because I was already in the worst of moods when I found myself sitting in front of the serious platinum blonde.

"Can I ask _why_ you did it?" Elsa asked softly, referring to an incident from a loudmouth and I earlier.

 _Would you believe me when I said she was plain asking for a broken nose?_ "Because I'm awesome?" I replied nonchalantly, making her frown at me.

Leaning back in her chair, I waited for her to just say it so I could leave. I'd even left my iPod playing before waltzing in to the boardroom. "You're suspended for the next three days. Go home, Miss Crescent." Elsa Mariani had a look of disappointment in her eyes, but I couldn't find the strength to really care.

"As you wish." I couldn't help glaring back at her. _Sorry for defending your honor._ I stormed out of the classroom with unshed tears stinging my eyes.

 _No wonder they call it Lovesick. Seriously!_ I couldn't stop my foot from knocking over a trashcan in the process after shoving my earbuds back into my ears.

 _'I just wanna scream and lose control. Throw my hands up and let it go, forget about everything and run away, yeah. I just wanna fall and lose myself, laughing so hard it hurts like hell. Forget about everything and run away, yeah...'_


	3. Stella

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Day One.

"Nah, girl. It's a triple play-by-play, switch and _then_ flip." The tall blonde Alice _tsk'd_ at me, making me slap my head mockingly when her brow furrowed.

"Ohh. Why didn't you say so in the first place?" I instantly back tracked and did what I was told, ignoring the way my body began to hum with the first signs of soreness. It had been awhile since I moved like that. "Better?" I asked after wiping the sweat from my own brow.

"A whole lot better." Al beamed at me and then gestured to my sweat-drenched, gasping partner, "now _you_ on the other hand." Her smile instantly softened when Kristoff gave her a sheepish shrug.

"I'm trying. Believe me, I am." He breathed before chocolate brown eyes found mine. "I just thought we'd be doing this one-on-one." _Traitor_ written all up in them.

It made me put my hands up in surrender. "Kris, I honestly don't have as much patience to teach you to dance as Al does." I gestured to the attractive blonde who was seemingly turning shy at the sight of my friend engaging in a glare contest with me. "Yeah she does _real_ good with the ones she likes." That playful drawl got me a harsh slap to my bare shoulder, which made me yelp in surprise.

"A-anyway, what exactly are you doing here, Anna? Last I checked, _you_ were teaching _me_ how to do the _Time Warp._ " Alice hid her embarrassment by turning away from Kristoff and facing me head-on. I still saw the tinge of pink on her creamy cheeks, though.

"Just a jump to the left." I grinned before stretching my arms over my head. "But seriously, I'm here, mainly, for moral support."

"And what's this I hear about you breaking Ariel Simmons' nose?" Al suddenly brought it back up.

" _Ugh_ , you sound like the Weasel." I groaned loudly as I tightened my ponytail.

"Did she also tell you she also got suspended for three days?" Lately, Kristoff seemed to just want to toss me under the bus whenever he saw fit and I so badly wanted to kick him in the shin.

Instead I got another hard smack to the back of my head. "OW!" I cried out, automatically whipping around to slap Alice's hand back. She glared at me. I glared right back and Kristoff coughed awkwardly.

"Why, Anna?" She asked after another intense minute. "I mean, aren't you already causing the student council enough grief with all your shenanigans?" Al tried to keep herself calm, but was starting to fail. I was starting to get on her nerves.

"Maybe _that's_ why they suspended me." I dared to snap back. Alice didn't go to the same school as Kristoff and I, but that didn't stop me from visiting her because she was a long time friend of the family. And it bothered me when she acted much like a mother sometimes. Regardless that she was only a year older than I was.

"What'd you do?" She demanded, now standing with her arms akimbo. Her stance made me stiffen a bit, turning defensive too.

"I broke a blockhead's nose." My voice came out in half a growl. _Wasn't that obvious?_

"Anna, settle down." Kristoff came back to put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I brought my eyes back to glare at him too, only that time he straightened back up. "You've been acting like this forever now and I don't know what's making you do it." His voice softened instantly, "but I do know that if you'd just _share_ your problems with us, we'd be more than willing to help."

Both of their heavily concerned eyes on me made me huff angrily. "T-there's nothing I can do!" I threw my hands up in defeat. "And if that's true then there's nothing you can do either."

Alice stepped forward so she could wrap her arms around me, causing my joints to stiffen instinctively. "No, sweetheart." She whispered to the top of my head. "We may not be able to do anything in that part of your life since you won't tell us anything. But you can bet your last penny that we'll do any and everything we can _just_ to see you happy again." And just like that, my anger dissipated and I groaned into her neck, conceding my own defeat.

"I hate you both." I muttered, making them chuckle.

* * *

Day Two.

The day had been long and boring, but since it was spaghetti night, I guessed it wasn't _all_ bad. "Baby girl, I love you." My dad started, tired eyes finding mine in sympathy while my fork poked lazily around a meatball. "But I think it's time you found something to do."

"Can I participate in dance battles?" I felt compelled to ask right away. The first battle I'd seen was on Alice's sixteenth birthday at a place called The Warehouse. The name of the group was called The Chosen and it was because of them that I started dancing in the first place.

"I meant something that'll distract you _and_ pay you." He chuckled before popping a meatball into his mouth.

"They do pay." I nodded convincingly. And they did. I once saw a team win over six-thousand dollars. It honestly blew my mind that people could get paid by doing something they loved. I hadn't realized that was possible until I saw it up close and personal.

That had to be another dream of mine.

"I mean a job, Love." He stated with a fond smile on his face, bringing me back to the present as well.

"What's that?" I asked playfully. He rolled his eyes and I brought my hand up as if to ease his thoughts. "Okay, okay. You want me to find a job, I can do that."

* * *

Day Three.

 _HELP WANTED._

I eagerly tore the poster off the wall and carried it with me to the address marked on it. A garage. I first saw men in oily, grease-stained, blue overalls spread out in said garage either working on their own cars or talking to customers. However, an office at the far corner caught my attention and I wasted no time in walking up to it. Exhaling lightly, I gave the door a sharp knock.

"Come in." A deep voice called out from the other side.

I opened the door and immediately saw a large man sitting behind his desk who was glancing through a newspaper. Even from where I stood I could tell he was intimidating and I had to wonder if this was the right place to try. It was my first try. "How can I help you, Missy?" He asked, folding his paper and putting it to the side.

"Uh, I saw this poster and was thinking- or I mean, I'd like to get a job here?" I cleared my throat awkwardly. _Wow, Anna. Don't be surprised if he kicks you out._ But his kind smile seemed to calm my nerves better than I was.

"So those imbeciles _did_ put posters out." His chuckle reverberated though me and the small office. "So have a seat and tell me what you know about vehicles." He leaned forward and steepled his oil-stained fingers in front of him.

I sat. The smell of the whole shop hit my nose then as I pondered what to tell him. "I know how to change a tire..." I began in unsurity, but then slumped my shoulders. "Okay not much, I'll admit." I scratched the back of my head nervously. "B-but I'm a fast learner!"

There was a light twinkle in his hazel eyes and his smile turned fond as he stood to his full height. "Hm, I suppose you could start out with the simpler jobs until you get the hang of things." Craning my head up, I instantly turned giddy with excitement, regardless that he towered over me like a skyscraper. "Once that happens, _I'll_ personally teach you how to fix motors."

"That'd be awesome!" I blurted, already feeling my face heat up with embarrassment. "I-I mean, I would like that very much, sir."

"What's your name, Missy?" He wasn't fazed at my excitement and even chuckled a little too.

"Anna Crescent, sir." I answered as professionally as I could.

"Drop this ' _sir'_ business and you can call me Danny." He extended a meaty hand, which I instantly took. "From here on out I'll be your boss." We shook firmly.

"Thank you...Danny." I beamed at him.

* * *

1st day back at school.

Tossing my bag at my feet, I also plopped down on the bench next to Olaf who was talking about some new play the Drama Club was going to try out. I half listened to him as I took out my home made sandwich since cafeteria food was as appetizing as cat food. "It goes something like perchance to dream, perchance to...want?" Olaf tried and failed miserably to quote one of the most famous lines in history and I was able to ignore his mistakes for about two more seconds until it got ridiculous.

"Bud," I interrupted sharply. "I think it starts out with: _To be, or not to be?"_

"Yes!" His brown eyes lit up in excitement. "How'd the rest go?" This time his hands came up to grip my forearm.

"Yeah, Anna." Kristoff smirked in challenge. "Just how did the rest go." Bringing my eyes from Olaf to that idiot, I couldn't help but glare.

"Mr. Bjorgman, that stupid pushy attitude of yours is getting really old, really fast!" I snapped at him, still a little hurt about his tattling on me to Al. His grin faltered, but he smoothed it over with taking a drink of his Gatorade.

"Yeah, Kris." Olaf huffed. "Anna just got back from her banishment, so can we act like it didn't happen and move on?"

"But, it _did_ happen and I would hate to just sweep it under the rug when the issue hasn't been resolved yet." Kristoff answered truthfully. _That's it!_

"Olaf, from where you _tried_ to start, it goes: _Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream- ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect that makes calamity of so long life..."_ It was my turn to smirk when I beheld Olaf's dreamy, childlike face and Kristoff's shocked one.

"Wow. Anna, that was amazing!" Olaf jumped at me with a smile so big I thought his face would split right in half. " _You_ should try out for the play!"

"No." I crossed my arms in front of me.

"Aww...why not? You'd blow everyone out of the water!" Olaf pleaded, eyes turning wide and glossy. A good trait he'd picked up from that accursed troupe of his.

"Do you really think people would accept the school rebel for the lead?" I finally managed to take a bite of my sandwich. "Plus, the title is _Hamlet_ and if you didn't notice...I'm _quite_ female." I chuckled and poked Olaf's nose playfully.

"There's Ophelia." He tried.

" _No._ " I deadpanned.

Seriously, I was in no mood. Just before I'd gotten to the bench, I managed to catch a glimpse of Elsa Mariani and those anxious feelings suddenly presented themselves once again. That time I _had_ considered telling them my problem, but the consequences would probably be, well, problematic. I mean, what if word got around and soon the whole school found out that I had feelings for the student council president? _I wouldn't be the school Rebel._ I'd be the biggest _joke_ known to man! It was terrifying to think about all the ridicule and the slow-motion laughter everyone would definitely evoke on me if they knew.

"Earth to Anna Crescent!" Kristoff thumped his hand against my shoulder, making me wince back to reality.

"What?!" I growled.

"Ah, so you _are_ alive." He sighed before resting his chin in his palm. "You've changed a lot."

 _Thanks a lot. Captain Obvious._ "Have not. I'm still me." I tried to smile convincingly, but he wasn't having it.

"Yes you have." He began to tick off his fingers. "A few months ago, you weren't that moody, you talked a lot more, you used to hang out with us on the weekends-"

"I got a job." I managed to get in.

" _And_ you never used to cause the student council so much grief!" He didn't hide his emotions as well as he could have and I found myself ready to slip away. I didn't need this right now.

"Thanks for your concern, Kris. But I'm just a little stressed." I tried to wave them off to no avail.

"About what?" Olaf, oblivious as ever, asked.

"Mr. Kwalski's upcoming test, of course!" I ended up brushing them both off. "Look, with the last three days wasted, I gotta spend some major time in the library." Gathering up my barely touched sandwich and bag pack, I stood to my feet. "It might take awhile so don't wait up for me and I'll see ya later."

 _Sorry I'm a coward._ I thought as I ran away.

* * *

Later.

 _'I walk a fine line between the right and the real. They watch me closely but talk is cheap here like a weightless currency. Your words don't mean to me. I'm always cashing out...'_

I silently sang along with the music playing in my earbuds as I languidly picked up papers off the floor. _Three suspension days equals three more months of cleaning huh?_ Sighing heavily, I shoved the papers back in the recycle bin.

"Maybe this isn't the best way to do it." I voiced aloud. And it was true. What I was doing was not the best way to attract Elsa Mariani's attention. That plan just wasn't very logical, come to think about it. Then again, it was inevitable. I'd probably end up doing something crazy either way. _They say Love makes you do crazy things, anyway._

Slamming the recycling lid shut, I couldn't help but think about my earlier eavesdropping of a stupid junior asking Elsa if she wanted a ride home. _She has a car, doesn't she?_ Regardless, I hadn't waited for her response because, just seeing others flirt with her made an unknown emotion swirl beneath my being. I knew I had no right to feel that way, but I couldn't help it.

After pushing the bin out of the classroom, I picked up the broom and began to sweep away the dust covering the floor. How all that dust gathered after a single day was beyond me. I just knew I had to clean it day in and day out for the next couple of months. _Brilliant._ Of course a drawback was that I had a lot of time alone. Time to think of her. But thinking of her made my insides feel numb.

 _Elsa, Elsa._ I needed to steer clear of thinking about her, so with a blank face, I continued cleaning and turned up my iPod.

 _'You're only happy when I'm wasted. I point my finger but I just can't place it. Feels like I'm falling in love when I'm falling to the bathroom floor.'_

Spinning myself around the broom, I swiftly lifted it and brought the head down with a gentle _clack._ A small grin playing on my lips. '

 _I remember how you tasted. I've had you so many times let's face it. Feels like I'm falling in love alone_...'

Reaching out and spreading my palm wide open, I gestured to the closed door. " _STELLA WOULD YOU TAKE ME HOME?"_ I sang out loud before snorting at my poor, idiotic, hopeless, self.

 _Look after my heart. It's in your hands now._

* * *

 _A/N: Sooo...how ya liking it? I personally like it and kudos to all who know the songs/play mentioned ^^_

 _I own nothing whatsoever._

 _Oh and don't worry, Elsa will show up again. The two are in different grades so there's not much contact yet, (regardless that Elsa allocated that punishment.) but anyway...Tootles~_


	4. Worth a Headache?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A few days later.

"Anti-lock Braking System, or ABS for short." Marko pointed at the little red light of the car he was working on, making sure I was paying attention too. I was. Very much so. "It helps the driver maintain the steering control during hard braking. Without it, the poor car would spin out of control when the wheels lock up during that time. Especially on slippery roads." His eyes met mine and I nodded before wiping my forhead free of sweat. _So hot today!_ "The ABS uses wheel speed sensors to monitor the speed of each wheel. If any of the wheels lock, the ABS quickly releases and then applies the braking pressure to the affected wheel, preventing it from locking. Remember that if you see this warning light appear on the dash, the ABS system doesn't work properly." He concluded as I took the information into memory.

"Aww...stop boring the little missy with all that simple stuff!" Boomed another voice from the garage door, making Marko, the rest of the workers, and I turn to see Danny carrying in a light blue cooler. With a knowing smirk, he then said to me, "tell the boys what a ball joint is."

I could feel all their eyes on me, waiting in anticipation, but I only coughed shyly. "Uh, it's part of a vehicle front suspension." I answered quietly, trying to hide my own surprise at being told to share. I hated public speaking now more than ever!

But when Danny scoffed incredulously, I knew I was in for it. "And then?" He drawled out, tossing me a cold can of soda from the cooler. Since it was wet with ice, it nearly fell from my hands and when I frantically fiddled with it for a couple of scary seconds, the guys voiced their own hearty chuckles at my clumsiness. Though, it all drove me to straighten back up with a fierce glare.

"A ball joint is filled with grease inside and sealed with a rubber boot. When a ball joint is badly worn out, it can separate, thus causing the vehicle to lose control." I stated, crossing my arms infront of me arrogantly.

"Whoo...go on, Crescent!" Another man named Earl belted and popped open his can with a broad, bearded grin. That was one thing about being the only girl. I had their goofy respect.

"What are the symptoms?" Danny prodded as well.

Bringing my eyes from Earl to him, I didn't hesitate to answer, "A knocking, clunking, or popping noise from the front end while driving over bumps. But sometimes, there could be none." I shrugged. "A ball joint can be properly inspected with our very own hoist." Jabbing my thumb over my shoulder to the closest one for example.

There was a quick pause of silence before the boss broke it. "What'd I tell you? She's like a sponge!" Danny exclaimed proudly and then came over to slap me on the shoulder. He took me off guard and I accidentally dropped the can of soda. We all watched it smack to the floor and explode everywhere, but easily laughed it off until Danny gestured for me to follow him. "Butch, get the mop. And _you_." He pointed a meaty finger at me. "I have yet to make you a complete grease monkey." He began to lead me to an old beat-up car at the back. "See Missy, you got most of the head knowledge down, but now it's time to get those girly hands of yours dirty." I could see his teeth in the next smile he gave me, causing me to turn giddy.

"Alright! Lead the way then, Danny." I couldn't help but grin with excitement. _It's about time._

* * *

Thursday. After school.

Stifling a tear-drawing yawn, I half dragged the cleaning supplies back to the janitor's closet. My tummy growled and I couldn't help but think helplessly: _I'm so hungry!_ It had been a long hectic day without lunch and I was ready to get out of there so I could get to my favorite place to eat sooner than later. _Mmm...Johnny Rockets._ I didn't stop the dreamy, longing smile from forming on my face, but as I passed the gym, I paused mid-step before taking another back to peer down the deserted basket ball court. _Oh?_ An idea crept into my mind and in the next instant, I was sprinting the rest of the way to the closet, where I basically threw the supplies and then I ran back to the gym.

I took off my jacket and in the last second, opted to just wear my undershirt with my gym shorts. _Need room to move around in._ On the way to the equipment/weight room, I steadily wrapped both my hands in with a roll of protective bandages and then proceeded to tie my hair up into a low ponytail. From my pocket, I pulled out my phone, found a suitable playlist and set the device on the floor to the right of me before warming up. As I began to rotate my joints, the first song began, already making my muscles tense with adrenaline.

 _'Can't kill the way I feel. Can't stop a hurt so real. Can't kill what I've denied, there's nothing left to sacrific. I stand on solid ground. Look up from falling down. There's nothing left unsaid. I live with no regrets.'_

After fully stretching, I positioned myself infront of the bag with my fists up around my face and shoulders and elbows down. But when I hesitantly took a jab at the bag, it didn't even budge and that made me laugh out loud for some odd reason. _Focus._ I popped my neck and bent my knees, getting ready to walk around the worn-out bag. All business now.

 _'I would break, I would burn, I would suffer. There's nothing I wouldn't do, do for you. I would lie, I would steal, for no other. You make me feel so alive. So alive I'd die for you!'_

My eyes narrowed in determination while the adrenaline spiked through me like the snap punches I started out with. Aggressively making my way around the bag like a lioness to it's prey, I felt myself easily get caught up in the glorious sensation of letting go.

 _'There's nothing left to hide. Want you to see inside. For me there is no doubt. My heart is yours, so rip it out! I don't expect you to understand this. I'll take what youu give, but I won't take it for granted.'_

The room was stuffy, but i didn't care. Fast jabs and kicks. A dark grin. Cross. _Breathe_. Numerous hooks. Audible grunts echoed through the empty room. 1-2 Combo. Sweat already formed on my brow. 1-2-3 Combo. A giddy, breathless chuckle escaped my lips. I could feel the power in my hands and legs, the quickness of each punch, precision of each kick. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to at that point.

 _'I would break, I would burn, I would suffer. There's nothing I wouldn't do, do for you. I would lie, I would steal, for no other. You make me feel so alive...'_

I didn't know how long I went at it, but when my body began to ache, I decided to slow. I still had other things to do later after all.

 _'Take my heart just rip it out! Rip it out!'_

Finally managing to stumble away from the punching bag, I languidly stretched again before going to pick up my phone in order to turn the music off. It didn't bother me that the song had been on repeat. It was a good song anyway. "Whoo... _There's nothing I wouldn't do, do for you..."_ I repeated the lyrics breathlessly as I pushed the damp bangs out of my eyes. My shirt clung to my equally sweaty torso and it was then that I decided _not_ to change back into my uniform, lest I make them more dirty than they should have been.

" _Take my heart just rip it-_ Aw man!" I smacked my forehead harshly when I suddenly remembered that I had library books, not to mention my bag still, waiting for me in the boardroom. On the opposite side of the school. _Idiot!_ Sucking it up, I immediately sprinted back down the hall without thinking.

Even though, I didn't know the exact time, I did know the school would be closing soon enough and I _did not_ want to get locked in. _Now that'd major add cherries to the cake, wouldn't it?_ I picked up my pace and as I approached the room, I didn't see the impending person until we collided with one another.

"Ah- dag!" I groaned loudly, rubbing my sore forehead and wincing from the stupid pain it caused me. Though feeling that the rest of my body was comfortably cushioned, I could only think one thing: _the other person is injured!_ I quickly pushed myself back up with all the gracefulness of a frantic deer and began spewing as many apologies as I could before really catching sight of who the poor person was. When I did, I froze in horror.

Elsa Mariani.

It was none other than Elsa Mariani.

 _Oh. Oh!_ "Wh- c-crap, I-I am _so_ sorry, did I hurt you?" My voice came out as panicked as could be. "A-are you injured? Can you walk? Do you- do you need help getting up?" _Sweet mother of Odin, of all the people in this stupid school I could have run over! It just has to be you doesn't it?!_ "Uh- um?" I bit my lip hastily, trying to cool it before I lost it. _Crap, crap, crap!_

Elsa slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her head too. Blue eyes met mine steadily. "Ever wonder why the teachers and officers tell us _not_ to run in the halls?" Were her first honey-dipped words, making me flush with embarrassment.

I wanted to smack myself silly. "I-I- I'm real sorry. I-I didn't expect anyone to still be around besides Zeus and Piney- I mean Juane and Dilbert. So...that's why I decided to make a run for it." I cringed at the mess that flopped out of my mouth.

"It's fine." Elsa put up a hand as if to put a stop to my idiocy and then proceeded to stand up, dusting herself off as well. "I've had a pretty awful day and I'm sure it couldn't get any worse." Her subtle accent licked every word, but did little to ease the sudden horrible guilt I felt for ungracefully knocking her over.

"I'm really, really, sorry. I-is there anything I can do for you?" I couldn't seem to stop apologizing. _Oh man. This is bad!_

"Yes, actually." Elsa answered calmly and then gestured to the books scattered everywhere on the floor. "You can help me pick up these books."

Without another word, I instantly dived for one, but didn't realize it was also her intended book too until our heads bashed together painfully.

"Sorry!" We both said in unison, before rubbing our heads once again. _Owww! That's a headache for sure!_

"Guess you spoke too soon when you said your day couldn't get any worse, huh?" I hesitantly tried to ease the heavy awkwardness of the situation after a silent second.

"Maybe." Elsa replied, letting a small, crooked smile grace her full lips.

Lips I so badly wanted to taste at that exact moment. "U-uh, well then. I'd better be off." I shot to my feet and handed her the books I'd picked up. "Don't wanna cause you any _more_ bad luck." I thought I muttered in my head, but when her eyes met mine in confusion, I coughed awkwardly. "I- goodbye." Instead of letting something else fall from my stupid mouth, I turned on my heel and walked away.

Until I remembered my bag and books.

Gritting my teeth, I reluctantly turned back around to find Elsa holding out said belongings to me. _Dandy. Just dandy._

"Those. I need those." My voice choked out as I strutted back to her. Moronically, if I might add.

Elsa's simple response was a nod and a small, murmured " _Mmhmm._ " And it looked like she was lightly biting on her lip to keep from giggling at me.

I felt my ears and face burning while my hands automatically reached out to grab my stuff. Only when her soft fingers brushed against mine, did I inwardly gasp and end up dropping my bag like the imbecile I was. _Seriously? This isn't going to stop is it?!_ Clearing my throat, I quickly snatched up my bag and ran away from her as fast as I could. Sweaty undershirt, shorts, still wrapped hands and all.

I didn't look back.

 _If I confessed my deepest feelings to you, Elsa Mariani...would you laugh at me? Or give me a chance?_

* * *

 _A/N: Oh Anna... I just had to laugh out loud at that little scene XD (apparently had to comment about laughing at it too) Anyway, that song really is awesome and I still own nothing._

 _Tootles~_


	5. The Transfer

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Monday.

There was a new transfer student when I arrived in my first class. I only noticed because I was late getting to school. So late that my seat had already been occupied by another girl. Okay, truthfully, that class _didn't_ have assigned seats, but the back seats had always been an unsaid designated spot for me.

I had a reputation to upkeep after all.

Too bad I wasn't in the mood to ask for it back. "Her name's Kida Nedakh." Olaf whispered (quite loudly) at me after I took a seat infront of him. He usually sat a row and a seat away from my desk, which put me a bit closer to the front, but that was my only unfortunate option.

Honestly, I was only late because my dad and I stopped for breakfast. After sleeping in once again. _Curse you dad and Rosita!_ That old feisty woman made some of the best breakfast burritos around and I just had to wait for one because she gave me special hot-off-the-stove treatment. Thinking about that warm, filling burrito made me easily forgive the new girl.

"A little louder, buddy. I don't think she heard you." I grinned back at Olaf. Off to the side, I noticed her glance at us curiously.

"Have you got your homework today, Miss Crescent?" The teacher asked once I fully settled, making me snap my eyes forward once again. _Did I?_ Remembering where I shoved it last Friday, I hastily dug around in my bag and to my surpise, I _did_ do it! _That's a first._ I had to look it over a few times. _When'd that happen?_ Before he could clear his throat in that annoying, impatient way if his, I got up and strode to the front to drop it off.

On the way back to my seat, I got a better look at the newbie. She was actually really pretty. Her smooth caramel skin easily stood out along with her oddily styled, crazy platinum blonde hair that had a section tied off to the side. Our eyes met in the next instant and I felt the tip of my foot catch nothing in particular, making me stumble before ungracefully plopping back into my seat. I felt my face heat up when Olaf giggled at me, but was too embarrassed to turn around to slap him.

Those intelligent eyes of hers were a _very_ attractive shade of blue, but what made me stumble like an idiot was the unsuspecting markings under her left eye. _Tattoos? Are they a family thing? Is she here to take my place as the rebel? 'Don't be stupid.'_ Whatever the reason, it had to be the most exotic thing I'd ever witnessed on a single person. _Whoa._

"So yeah, I heard once that when Mr. Kronski first came here, the students made him cry." I heard Olaf ' _whispering'_ again and discretely peeked behind me to see him halfway leaning into the aisle to talk to her.

"Are you serious?" She gasped, blue eyes turning wide with a mixture of glee, curiousity and a hint of mischief. That look alone let me know she wasn't the stuck-up type. Regardless that she could have easily had her way with anyone. (I just got that vibe from her when she didn't seem to acknowledge anything at first.) _Judgemental much, Anna?_

"Uh-huh. Ask Anna, here." Olaf hit my shoulder, making me turn all the way around to glare at him. "Right, Anna?" He prodded happily. Oblivious little idiot.

" _Yesss_. Olaf." I hissed through my teeth instead of hitting him back like I wanted, knowing it was a futile attempt to make him stop talking so loud. "And that's why he's got buns of steel now."

"Wow. That's insane." The new girl chuckled lightly and then met my eyes dead on. "My name is Kida, by the way-" a pause as she pushed her hair behind her ear, "well actually it's Kidagakash, but Kida for short." She ended up passing a dazzling, eager smile to me and I found myself flushing a bit. Her lips were a nice rosy pink color.

"U-uh. Anna-" began my spluttered response. "I'm Anna. Short for Anna Crescent." I couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly. When she joined my chuckle with a kind giggle of her own, I felt pretty stupid. _Help! I'm so lame!_ Clearing my throat, I leaned over too. "So, where are you from?" I blurted, but thankfully, she didn't seem to mind and even leaned closer too, practically hanging in the aisle to tell us. She was so close that I could see her markings up close and personal. Now I could see that there was a lone dot and two elegantly curved lines on top of each other just under her left eye. They looked like teardrops to me.

"It's a secret." She grinned, making me pull back with a much better chuckle than before. _Seriously?_

"Oh! Speaking of- what are those markings on your face?" Olaf butted in, causing us to break eye-contact to look at him in question. "Are they-"

"Crescent, Ramesy, Kadeka, I do believe this is a classroom. Not the cafeteria." The teacher easily cut through our unwanted conversation. Unwanted for him, anyway. As usual, I was called out on first.

"It's _Nedakh_ , sir." Kida politely corrected him. "Or Kida, if that makes your job easier." Her smile was so persuasive that even _he_ couldn't argue with her. That certainly threw all of us for a loop because Kronski _always_ had something to say.

She was so mysterious.

* * *

After class.

"Can you guide me to my next class, Anna?" Kida asked suddenly, making my eyes widen in surprise.

Olaf's jaw dropped and I stiffly picked up my own bag, slinging it over my shoulder. "Um, sure." I may have looked aloof, but inside I was filled with odd feelings. And that other dark-haired idiot wasn't helping with his gaping at me whatsoever. I decided to leave him there as I gestured for Kida to go ahead of me.

"You're killin' me Anna." Olaf whispered harshly. I frowned at him.

"What? _She_ asked _me!_ " I whispered back before patting his head. "But maybe next time. You're too adorable for your own good anyway."

"Shut up and go." He waved me off flippantly and then shoved his hands in his pockets. I tilted my head in confusion as he walked away from me. A closer look at the familiar way his shoulders slumped made me smack myself in the forehead. _No._ I inwardly groaned. _Not you too, buddy! I mean really, the girl just got here._

"Everything okay?" Kida came back to my side, looking after him too until he disappeared into the flow of students.

"Hopefully." I muttered and held out my hand for her schedule. When she gave it, I quickly scanned it over and saw that we had another class together later. "Ah, Biology." I lead her out into the hall, turning down the less crowded one for my sake.

"So, have you always lived here?" She asked after bumping into me for the second time when someone passed us too closely.

"Yeah." I replied blankly, turning us to the right.

"Hey Anna, who's your girlfriend?" A big clapped hand on my shoulder suddenly made me growl at the familiar voice.

"Shove it, Kris." I immediately smacked him, feeling my face blow up in a blush after his stupid question.

"Ow! I'm kidding." He chortled before offering his hand to the girl opposite of me. "Hi. I'm Kristoff."

"Kidagakash." She grinned playfully at him, shaking his hand at the same time.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He chuckled nervously before turning to me. "You didn't tell me she didn't speak English!" Came his accused whisper and blazing eyes.

"Dorkbrain." I scoffed, pushing away from me. "That _is_ her name."

"Yes. Kida for short." She pushed her hair behind her ear again before smirking at me and then to him. "And I happen to speak English just fine."

Kristoff's face resembled a tomato and he left without another word, giving me no choice but to chuckle at his poor self. Looking back to the person I was supposed to be walking to class, I caught her looking at me curiously. Only she didn't flick her eyes away like I would have when our eyes met. I coughed awkwardly. "What?"

"I'm staring so you can too." She replied innocently and then pointed to her left cheek. It felt like she had an invisible tug that instictively drew my eyes to it. I immediately found my brows furrowing in concentration.

"Is it real?" I fought the urge to touch it.

"Yes. It's a tribal tattoo."

"What does it mean?"

She smiled wickedly before flipping her snowy white hair over her shoulder. "That's a secret too." I rolled my eyes before turning on my heel away from her.

"Fine. Don't share then." I called over my shoulder, actually grinning when she instantly shuffled to catch up to me.

"Hey, don't be like that." She drawled as she playfully bumped my shoulder with hers. "We only just met, Feisty-Pants. I can't go spilling everything to you right off the bat."

" _Feisty-Pants?_ " I quirked a brow at her. "I thought we didn't know eachother."

"Crescent, if you're late to my class again you're doing laps for the entire period!" Coach appeared out of nowhere, making me stifle an annoyed groan.

"I'm going!" Snapping back at him, I turned around to bid the new girl adieu before quickly making my way to the gym.

* * *

After school.

 _'I'm hurting, baby. I'm broken down. I need your loving, loving. I need it now. When I'm without you, I'm something weak. You got me begging, begging, I'm on my knees.'_ I inwardly smiled at the song blaring in one side of my ear as I lazily pushed the last table back into it's orginal position. _Did they have a stupid dance party or something?_ Looking around, it was hard to believe there was actually that much blank floor without all the desks, tables and chairs filling it. And _I_ had the incredible pleasure of putting it back together after such a state. _Yay. But I could dance if I wanted to._

 _"I don't wanna be needing your love. I just wanna be deep in your love. And it's killing me when you're away. Ooh, baby."_ I sang the next line, trying to ignore the sudden soreness of my shoulders from weight lifting eariler. Stupid Coach. Sliding a chair under the same table, I let myself get caught up in the song and spun back around to grab another one. _"Your sugar. Yes please. Won't you come and put it down on me?"_ I was able to match the same pitch and couldn't help but giggle at my foolish attempt. All the while, I didn't hear the door open behind me.

 _"I'm right here. 'Cause I need little love, a little sympathy. Yeah, you show me good loving. Make it alright. Need a little sweetness in my life."_ I threw my hand out like I was on stage infront of millions of cheering fans. _"Your sugar. Yes please. Won't you come and put it down on-"_

As I spun again, my eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure frozen in the doorway.

It was Elsa Mariani.

"Me?" I squeaked to a finish, feeling my heart jump to my throat as a fierce blush consumed my face and neck in complete embarrassment. Even _she_ didn't know how to process what she'd walked in on, so we stood there like a couple of stunned idiots. _Uh..._ Honestly, I would have expected Kida to have already come to bother me. _B-but, E-E-Elsa? Since when does she drop by unexpectantly?_

Clearing my throat awkwardly and turning around like a wooden statue, I silently continued to push the rest of the chairs back under the tables. Completely mortified! My hands shook uncontrollably, but to her I was sure I at least looked a little calm. _Oh man, oh man, oh man. I'm such a moron!_ I feared the blush wouldn't be leaving my face any time soon.

"I...hope you don't mind. I have some paperwork that I need to fill out." Came her unsure voice. Still tinted in her attractive accent and I had to wonder when it would sooth me again because lately, it only seemed to be mocking me.

"By all means." I somehow managed to say before stealthily and silently moving about the classroom so as not to distract her. _As soon as I'm done I'm out!_ I thought as I turned up the volume of my accursed iPod and then turned my back to her, deciding to sweep since I'd forgotten to do that in the first place.

Of course now that she was in the same room as me, I found it extremely difficult to concentrate. Gripping the broom handle tightly, I tried to think of anything else but the faint scent of something sweet that had entered the room the same time Elsa came in. _What is it? Strawberries? Peppermint? 'Idiot, peppermint isn't sweet.' Flowers? Focus!_ Drawing my eyes back to the floor, I frowned at it like it had done me wrong. She was quite the distraction though.

A silent minute passed. Only the sounds of my music and broom swipes filled my ears until the soft scent hit me again and I found myself instantly daydreaming of Elsa once more. When I realized it, all my movements ceased as a light chuckle left me. _Hopeless. You. Are. Hopeless!_ It was ridiculous sometimes how she invaded my every thought. Everyday. Even mysterious Kida wasn't a good enough to take my mind off of Miss Mariani.

"What's so funny?" A voice asked from behind me.

I dropped the broom in alarm and whipped around to see another familiar person standing in the doorway. _Speaking of._ "Hey. I-it was nothing, really." My hand came up to scratch the back of my head sheepishly before Kida flowed into the room, inspecting my progess.

"You're a hard girl to find and what exactly are you doing?" She gave me an innocent smile, adjusting the strap on her shoulder.

"Cleaning." I answered, knowing full well that the student council president was still sitting at her desk.

"Why?" Kida asked, looking to the front and then back to me. Blue eyes full of question.

"What, you haven't pieced it together yet?" I opened my arms mock-aggressively. "I'm the school rebel."

"Uh. I just got here, remember?" She grinned, knocking the broom from my hand. "Oops."

"Look you-" I growled dangerously, clenching my fists at my sides. Elsa suddenly cleared her throat, making us look back at her as she then maintained eye contact and brought her hands up to fold elegantly under her chin.

She didn't need to say, or do anything more.

I gulped at the sight. "Y-you need to go." I gingerly took Kida's shoulders in my hands and began to lead her back to the door.

"But I just found you, Anna!" She complained, trying to stay behind to no avail. _Why does it feel like she's putting on a show?_ Not thinking more on it, I practically shoved her back out and closed the door.

"Sorry about that. Kida's new here and I guess she needs someone to latch on to." I stated in mock annoyance to the pretty girl who acknowleged me with a small nod before continuing on with her paper work. Shaking my head at my idiot self, I went back for the broom to finish sweeping so I could get the heck out of there.

 _I'll be a fool for you. No question about it._

* * *

 _A/N: I still own nothing. But thank you for all the reviews/follows/ and faves!_

 _Tootles~_


	6. Dreaming in the Rain

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A few days later.

 _It was scorching. The unforgiving sun beat down on the small garden attached to my apartment, making the inside just about as comfortable as the Sahara desert. Outside wasn't much better, but at least the small, covered porch offered both shade and just a hint of a breeze._

 _"A slushiee would be nice." I grumbled like an old bar maid as my eyes closed and I basically went limp on the deck chair like ice cream on the sidewalk. "Or any sort of ice would do, actually."_

 _The matching chair situated a few feet away from mine creaked as its previous occupant got up. Probably to go to the kitchen for a refill of her own cold drink._

 _"Els?" I spoke up again when I heard the familiar footsteps padding along the wooden deck. "If you're getting more to drink, you think you could-" an uncharacteristic squeal suddenly leapt from me as a good amount of icy liquid was dumped on my exposed stomach. Frantically scrambling to my feet, I couldn't help but glower at my merrily chuckling companion. "The heck was that for?!"_

 _The gorgeous platinum blonde continued to laugh softly. "You said you wanted ice." She gestured to the half-melted cubes now scattered about on the chair, the porch, and my stomach as I quickly brushed them off. "Naturally, I wanted to provide it for you." Her sexy accent and alluring scent captured all of my senses, but I wouldn't be swayed so easily._

 _I breathed in haughtily through my nose. "Oh, really now?" Narrowing my eyes, I slowly reached forward so I could fish a few ice cubes of my own from my glass. "How very sweet of you."_

 _There was a small hint of worry in those captivating cerulean eyes of hers as they locked cautiously on the ice in my fingers. But mostly, there was just amusement. "N-now, now, Anna..!" Elsa carefully danced a few steps back when I made a futile lunge for her. "There's no need for that. I'm quite happy to offer my services without your having to return the favor." Her elegant hands came up semi-defensively._

 _"Oh, I'm sure you are." I drawled playfully as I steadily continued my approach to my beautiful swim suited companion. "But I insist."_

 _"Wait. Hey, hey...A-Anna, that's going to-" She let out her own shrill scream when I aimed true. "That's cold!"_

 _I chuckled like a madwoman and crossed my arms over my chest triumphantly. "That oughta learn ya."_

 _What stopped me from gloating more was a lower and far more dangerous laugh that came from the other woman and my eyes widened in panic at her newest choice of weapon. "El- d-don't you dare..." I began to back up cautiously. "Put that hose down- NO!"_

"Feisty-Pants?" A distant voice beckoned me along with a poke to my back.

"Hm? What?" I hummed dreamily.

"You're day dreaming again."

"So?"

"So...you're supposed to read next." Another voice rumbled deeply.

Opening my eyes and snapping my head up, I came face to face with a poor shirt in distress. Mr. Berkins' stomach was right in my face. That teacher was like a medium gas-sized planet: bloated and round.

"Right away." I replied, feeling my face heat a little. "Umm...where are we exactly?" Random students chuckled throughout the classroom as I quickly swiped through my book for the intended page. _Goodness that was such an awesome dream!_ I only felt sorry he ruined it for me.

* * *

After School.

On the contrary to my consistent, pleasant daydreams, the day was actually pretty gloomy and colder than usual. Meaning even the rain was having mood swings. One minute it was raining heavily and then nothing. And at the moment while I was ready to leave for home, it was raining cats and dogs. _Great._

Securing my sweater more firmly around my body along with my hood over my head, I just about stepped out into the pouring rain when a dark sputtering car caught my attention. Since the heavy rain blocked a part of my view I couldn't see too clearly and before I knew it, I was walking that way and instantly recognized the person sitting behind the wheel.

Blue eyes met mine in surprise. Elsa. Inwardly chewing my cheek to keep from running away, I sucked it up and went to her side of her beetle. As she rolled her window down, I pushed my already soaked hood back and gave her a nervous smile. "Uh...w-what seems to be the problem?" I asked hesitantly, wiping my bangs out of my eyes. _Bad day to wear a lighter sweater._

"It won't start." Was her simple reply. She had this little crease in her forehead that I found incredibly cute, but I pushed those fluttering feelings down by clearing my throat. I needed to be a _little_ professional at least.

"Try turning it again." I managed to say without stuttering and then listened to the way her engine tried to come to life. _Doesn't sound too bad._ "Can you pop your hood?" Ignoring the shivers that wanted to quake through my body, I slicked my hair back and pulled my bag from my shoulders.

"Do you know what you're doing?" It was her turn to ask hesitantly, but she opened the hood anyway.

"Probably not." I couldn't help but smirk at her before making my way back to the front of her bug. Luckily, her car was parked out of the rain under an awning, so if she needed a simple jump, it wouldn't be as dangerous. _Okay._ I put my bag down as I crouched to unhook the latch and then pushed the cover up.

One look and I could see that her engine could have used some light cleaning, if I had to say honestly. _Would she accept that sort of tip from me, though?_ I shrugged to myself, but instantly jumped back when she tried to start it up again just as my hand reached for the wiring connections. "H-hey, watch it!" I yelped, hearing her gasp before she scrambled out of the driver's seat.

"I'm so sorry, Anna. Are you okay?" Her blue eyes were wide with panic as she came right up to my now shocked self. _She said my name._ Only when her closeness became apparent did I take a clumsy step backwards, cradling my hand for no real reason.

She looked as beautiful as ever and the sight easily made me go slack-jawed.

"No- I mean, yes I-I'm fine." I stuttered out. _Calm down. She's just a bit worried._ Flexing my jaw, I held out my uninjured hands to her. "See? I'm all good."

"Are you sure?" She asked, leaning closer to try to inspect my hands without really touching me. Seriously, if she did something like that, I would have probably passed out. So I was thankful but not really that she didn't touch me. _Focus!_

Snapping out of my reverie, I found myself back in the present. "Yes. Just don't try to turn the engine until I tell you to...'kay?" She nodded silently and I waved her worry away before looking her engine over once more. Besides a wash, everything looked good so I went back to reach for the cables instead of the wires. Sure enough, one was loose. Without much more thought, I unzipped my bag and pulled out my dirty gym shirt. After that, I checked the cables both out and then cleaned them with my shirt. All the while, Danny's instructive voice filled my mind, easily distracting me and giving me more tips on how to properly put them back in place like a boss.

While I was tightening one, Elsa stepped forward to get a better view of what I was doing. I stiffened instinctively when her shoulder touched mine. Just like that, my somewhat frail concentration was broken.

"I don't bite." She stated quietly when I awkwardly dropped the same cable and stepped to the side. _Her scent._ It had been a tempting mixture of Jasmine and the refreshing smell of a drizzle just before the water soaks fully into the dirt. I finally felt a chill creep down my spine, but whether it was caused from the cold or Elsa was beyond me.

"I-I know, I just don't want you to...get wet?" Realizing that it sounded weird out loud, I held up my already greased right hand and pointed to my wet sleeve with my left. "Rain." I chuckled, feeling like a complete idiot when I noticed the smallest twitch of her brow. _Amusement?_ Behind me, I could hear that the rain settled down once again, but I wasn't concerned about all that as I gingerly stepped back to finish tightening her battery cables.

When I was done, I dusted my hands in satisfaction before telling Elsa to try starting it again. She nodded, but instead of getting all the way in, she only reached for the ignition from the outside. It started easily. _Like a glove!_ I gave her a semi-cocky grin, shoved my shirt back into my bag and then slung it over my shoulder. "My job here is done." Closing her hood in the process.

"Wait." Elsa called when I began to walk away, making me stop to look back at her in question. "How are you getting home?" Instead of maintaining eye-contact with me, she looked away and shuffled her feet bashfully.

The question didn't register and I blinked in confusion before pointing a little further away from the student parking lot. "By taking that bus right there- aww man!" My eyes widened in shock when they caught sight of my usual after hours bus already pulling away from the curb. _Of all the rotten, no good-!_ "Yeah... _that_ bus." I chuckled disdainfully at myself while starting to play with the strap of my bag in budding irritation. _Great._ _Now what?_

Elsa brought her eyes from the stupid bus back to me with a slightly sheepish look on her pretty face. Though, before she could possibly blame herself for making me miss my ride, I quickly spoke up. "N-not to worry though, I'm sure Kida can give me a lift. She doesn't live too far from here." _Closer than me at least._ I started to fish around for my phone when Elsa stepped closer to me once again, making my hand freeze in my pocket. There was a strange look in her gorgeous eyes that made my stomach flop, but I wouldn't dare question it.

"I can offer you one right now." Came her flavored voice to my eager ears. _Uh?_

Too bad, my mouth ran away from me before I really even thought about it. "T-that's not- I mean, you don't have to do that. I got-"

"Hey, cool girl?" Elsa emitted an adorable giggle that shut my stupid mouth right up. "Let me give you a ride." Her crooked smile seemed to warm my slightly shivering body and made my heart skip a beat. _Mercy._

Unfortunately, just as I could wholly accept her offer like a hyper child, a smooth, deep voice sounded from behind me. "Elsa!" It called, making those blue eyes flicker away and me frown suddenly before turning to see who it was. Hans Marsden. My eye twitched at the sight of the guy that had been walking toward us with an easy smile on his fancy boy face. His demeanor seemed innocent enough, but I found myself disappointed nonetheless.

"Look, I gotta go. Good luck with your car." I turned back and saluted the student council president with a completely fake, giant smile before sprinting away as the rain began to pelt down on me again like it was punishing me for an unknown reason.

* * *

The next day.

"I've got it!" Kristoff bellowed, standing up so suddenly that the chair he was sitting on clattered noisily away from him. That made me stop in my tracks and lean against the stacks, staying a safe distance from my table of friends. I was still within hearing and seeing range though. Only _they_ couldn't see me between the books.

"Hush! We're in the library." Olaf whispered like the librarian herself, but then leaned in with curious eyes. "What is it?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Kida repeated after putting down the book she'd been reading.

"Anna got rejected." Kristoff surmised, making me frown at him through the book shelf. _Say what?_ "Yes. She spilled her heart out to someone who turned her down. That would explain her odd depression!" He nodded proudly to himself. I rolled my eyes. _Idiot._

"No way." Olaf waved his observation away. "Anna's not the type to go around ' _spilling her heart out'_ to someone." He air-quoted.

"That's true." Kida replied, picking up her book once more. "She's Feisty, but even _she_ has more sense than that." _I knew there was a reason you and I got along right off the bat._ A proud grin appeared on my lips.

"Okay, one to none, but think of it this way," Kristoff put his hands up to box in his face. "She gets rejected by someone and then suddenly gets pissed enough to let her anger out on the boardroom window. After that angry state, she goes into some sort of depression where she's all 'oh nobody cares about me' or, 'I can do bad all by myself.'" He tried to coax agreement out of them. "Huh. Huh? Doesn't that sound like her?" Kristoff's stupid grin consumed his wide mouth and his eyes twinkled with satisfaction at having pieced it together like that.

Kida and Olaf couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles. "That has to be the most ridiculous conclusion I've ever heard!" Kida hid her face in her arms and continued to laugh heartily. Even _I_ had to chuckle quietly to myself. But, I'd be lying if I said he didn't get a few points right though. _So they do talk about me when I'm not around._ Just from that conversation, I would venture to say _I_ was a popular topic at least. Why? I had no idea.

"Alright, laugh all you want, you pansies." Kristoff huffed in annoyance. "But I _will_ get to the bottom of this. Whatever _this_ is." He snorted like an angry bull.

"Hey, Kris." Olaf wiped a tear from his eye. "I thought I told you the other day to just leave Anna alone. She's a big girl."

"Fine. But if she takes up cutting herself, _you_ two will be held responsible." He glared at them.

"Don't be stupid." Kida made a move to punch the mountain of a friend, making him cringe. "Heh..that's two more for flinching." She smirked mischievously before shrugging nonchalantly. "And don't worry. I know for a fact that Anna's _not_ that stupid."

And I wasn't.

Shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all, I left them there to wander to one of the back windows. Today had been so much better than the other rainy day, but what I eventually saw once I looked out there made me wish it _was_ raining still. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of Elsa getting into a different car.

Hans Marsden's car.

I instantly frowned. Mood ruined. _What does he have that I don't?_

"Sideburns." I muttered my answer to the question out loud before snickering to myself. But that still wasn't enough to suppress my sudden urge to send my fists through the window pane. Instead, I wrenched away from the window to schlep back to the others with my shoulders drooped. My anger dissipated, leaving me feeling hopeless once again.

 _You'll never be mine, will you?_

* * *

 _A/N: *As I'm sitting here watching the very movie that started it all* Thank you very much for the reviews/follows/faves! Glad some of you like it and stay riveted._

 _I own nothing._

 _Tootles~_


	7. The newer sentence

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Sunday evening.

"No." He stated firmly.

"Dad?" I began to beg.

"No."

"Please?"

"I said _no._ "

"Daaaad!"

He threw his hands up in exasperation before glowering at me. "Look here, you-"

"You won't have to pay anything." I interrupted. "Danny says he can help me out with all of it." I splayed my hands on the table and lifted myself some with the biggest puppy dog eyes I could muster. Too bad I didn't have the same fierce theatricality as Olaf did, otherwise, I was sure my dad would be in my back pocket already.

Holding on to his stubbornness, he pointed a finger at me. "So what, you think that just because you haven't been in trouble in school lately that you can just flat out ask me for something like this?" His growing mustache that I wasn't too fond of fixed into an incredulous frown.

" _Yes._ " I deadpanned and crossed my arms over my chest, knowing he wasn't angry with me at all. I might not have been able to put on a show like my theater buddy, but I _did_ know that my dad wouldn't deny me anything. I just needed to be stealthy about it.

" _Hrmph._ I don't like this Danny character." He grumbled and looked away from my pleading eyes. "You sure he isn't hitting on you?" There was a smile in his deep voice.

I wrinkled my nose. "Dad, I believe Danny's older than even _you_ are. Now I may have had a few girlish opinions of _Jeff Bridges_ , but that's just wrong to think about him like that!" Waving his skeptical look off, I did the thing he didn't like the most: I pouted. "Please? Giovanni has friends in the MSF."

"Anna, this is a _motorcycle_ we're talking about. Not a puppy." He tried not to maintain eye contact with me as he spoke. "Do you know how many people have died over the years from motorcycle accidents?"

"Like, twenty-five percent?" I held in a scoff. "But seriously, most of that's only because none of them had an actual license. _And_ they weren't taught by professionals." Lowering my voice, I added, "My goal isn't to become a statistic, Dad."

He made sure to steer clear of that topic right after I'd said it. "So you're saying that Danny and Giovanni are professionals?" I could hear the waver in his voice.

 _I didn't say that, exactly._ But they did have really sweet Harleys. "They have connections to the Motorcycle Safety Council and from what Danny told me: just they're basic program is designed to take me from a mere beginner to a licensed motorcyclist in just two and a half days. Regardless of age or skill." My excitement began to build as I watched him start to mull it over. "MSF also offers more courses for the skilled riders that want to improve their on-and-off road techniques." _Not like I'm a pro yet._ My hands came up to let my chin rest on them. "Didn't _you_ have a bike?"

His eyes narrowed at me. "A Honda 599. Back when I was sixteen and trying to impress your mother, yes. But, Anna, that was an entirely different world from the one we're living in now."

"It's not like I'm going to be going on a dangerous road trip everyday before school." I didn't stop myself from chuckling at his own form of pouting. It felt good to hear him being able to talk about my mom again, if anything.

"Where is this place anyway?" He switched back to the original topic.

"MSF? They're affiliated with riding schools all over the country." I grinned. "So that means that there's one right here in Arendelle."

"How long is it?"

"They hold the first class on a Friday night for three hours. After that, is basically a whole Saturday of learning and we'll practice with motorcycles from the College. Day three is some sort of test that, if I pass, means I get exempt from also taking a road test at the DMV." I smirked and drawled, " _And_ there's a ten-percent discount of insurance."

"I don't know, Anna." He ran his hand through his usually messy head of hair before rubbing at his temple as light wisps fell back around his chiseled face. Benjamin Crescent Jr. was a very handsome man, regardless if he was a widow or not. And my mother was equally just as pretty.

Instead of letting my mind wander back to the past, I continued. "I'm _already_ helping Danny rebuild a bike he bought awhile back and he said if I can fix it right, I can have it. Again, you won't have to pay for anything whatsoever and I can make sure you always get discounts when you bring the car in _annnd_ you won't have to worry about me riding that rickety bus home after hours anymore." Gripping my hands together in front of my face, I pleaded again. "I'll wear a helmet."

He glowered at me once more, but then leaned back in his chair with a hearty chuckle. "This was a fixed conversation from the start, wasn't it?" Gesturing me to come to him, I eagerly got up to give him a grateful hug. "Your mother always said I was too easy on you." He whispered into the top of my head and then kissed it lovingly. Maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to cope with her absence. The thought was enough to make some of the weight lighten from my shoulders.

"Yeah. But you're only really bad at three things, Daddy-o." I grinned, pulling back to look at him. "And they are; saying 'no' to me, lying...and cooking."

"Get outta here!" He playfully shoved me away and I skipped off laughing jovially. "Now if I hear you went and joined a motorcycle gang, we're going to have some problems!" He called after me with a chortle.

"Love ya too." I called back. _Motorcycle gang. Pfft!_

* * *

Monday.

A long, nearly dramatic sigh left my lips that mirrored a love struck imbecile as I carefully gazed at a certain goddess in the distance.

 _Elsa Mariani._ The breathtakingly attractive platinum blonde was casually sitting under a tree. Like a gorgeous outdoorsy model, she had her back resting on the tree trunk behind her and I couldn't help but let my eyes glaze over her own fetching blue eyes from where I sat. After another moment, she stopped to look around. Waiting on someone it seemed. _Could that be ME you're waiting on one day?_ I thought helplessly just as Hans crept up from behind her to discretely tap her on her shoulder. Slightly startled, she then looked in that direction, but he had dodged to the other side and tapped her other shoulder. Her lips formed into his name and once she found the culprit, the two engaged in a fit of chuckles. (Well, Hans did anyway. Elsa hid a small smile behind her book.)

That look alone seemingly carried across the quad and caused my heart to flutter as I brought my palm up to rest my chin in it. Content with watching her from afar for the moment.

Then she looked at me.

 _Busted!_ My eyes widened before dropping down to the metal table under my arms. _Look cool, Crescent. It's okay, just shake it off. It could be someone else she's looking at._ Luckily, _I_ had been trying to read something too and I tried desperately to appear like I was really in to it while my face continued to heat up, turning red in the process. _Stupid._ My eyes frantically looked over the hand-me-down 'How to ride' basics textbook I'd gotten from Giovanni's son, but the words easily meshed together and I found myself glancing back up to where Elsa was once again. Like there was an unseen magnet planted in her that pulled me to her every time.

Only she wasn't there anymore. Quickly scanning the quad, I spotted her again. Walking with Hans. I choked on my saliva when I noticed that they were indeed slowly heading in my direction. Mercifully, they were in too deep a conversation to notice me about to cough a lung up but as they shared another chuckle, blue eyes found mine once again. I couldn't help but notice the definite glint of amusement in them.

I found myself having a hard time concealing the blush that wanted to consume my face and neck, but I didn't dare look away. Not now. Not when it looked like Elsa Mariani was half smiling at me. That alone made my own lips slowly curve into a grin while our eyes stayed glued together, regardless that she was walking with that other imbecile. _Wow..._ Even her hair was dancing temptingly in the afternoon breeze.

"Hey, good lookin'!" Called a familiar voice along with a weight to my unsuspecting shoulders. The force caused me to let out an annoyed grunt as she partly smashed me into the table. "I have my dad's car today, so let's you and I ditch this boring thing called 'lunch hour' and get a smoothie." Kida tightly wrapped her arms around me and drawled happily in my ear.

Elsa's half smile faded and she broke eye-contact first as they passed us.

I inwardly sighed, deciding not to let my anger get the better of me. "It's not really 'ditching' if the campus is open for lunch- hey!" Before I knew it, Kida had closed my textbook, tucked it under her arm and then practically yanked me out of my seat.

"You just like the sound of your own smug, little smart-alec voice don't you?" She smirked at me just as we passed Elsa and Hans again. "I swear you're _such_ a dork." I didn't dare look back when Kida's arm curled around mine more friendly than intimate, but I did feel a sudden chill immediately after. _What?_

* * *

Sometime after lunch.

"GET BACK HERE!" A deep voice bellowed angrily.

 _CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!_ I frantically sprinted down the hall like a frightened rabbit with a bunch of hungry wolves on my tail. Wolves meaning the teachers that had easily jumped to conclusions when they saw a trashcan engulfed in flames and my unfortunate self within the same vicinity. Talk about bad timing! For once in my new high school career as the rebel, I was innocent. Sure, I'd done some stupid things...but I never thought to bring a dang lighter to school! _Who does that?_ I didn't even smoke!

Skidding around the corner, I found myself speeding right for the boardroom. Without thinking, I scrambled in and all but slammed the door shut. I gasped for much needed air before leaning over on my knees with sweat glistening on my brow. Running full speed from the football field all the way up to the farthest end of the school was something I was sure would get me into the Olympics some day.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so early today?" Inquired a sweet, somewhat husky accented voice from behind me.

Whirling around to look at her, I pleaded with wide eyes. "I-i-it wasn't my fault! I _swear_ it wasn't me this time! The fire was already- I-I never did anything-!" I shook at my jacket to emphasize empty pockets. "I don't even have a lighter on me. Check my skirt and bag- I'm innocent!

Elsa frowned at my bordering-on-insane state. "What are you talking abou-" The door abruptly slammed open, probably loosening the hinges a bit and Coach, along with two other teachers barged into the room. I now knew how _Frankenstein_ felt when he got cornered into that tower by all the angry townspeople.

Or at least I would have if they all weren't wheezing like they hadn't run in ages. Even Coach was out of breath and he was...or _looked_ more in shape than the rest.

"Can I help you?" Elsa asked smoothly, still confused as to why her domain was filled with people trying to catch their breath.

"That-" _gasp_ "girl-" _wheeze_ "is going to wish-" _gulp_ "she'd never been born!" Coach managed to puff out before directing a malicious glare at me.

"Yes." Another stated breathlessly. "She shouldn't have done that."

"Done what, exactly?" Elsa tilted her head in question.

" _She_ knows what we're talking about!" The last bellowed and pointed an accusing finger at me. I fought the urge to spit at them.

"I didn't do anything." I muttered, already breathing regularly again. I even began straightening out my clothes and hair before they could think about it.

"You sneaky little-"

"Anna _didn't_ do anything, Mr. Smoot." Elsa stood elegantly from her chair and successfully cut Coach off. "She was merely out running errands for me."

"Yeah, see? How could I commit arson while I'm out-" I blurted, but then stopped as my eyes widened in realization. "Wait, wha-"

"What are you talking about? That little rat is guilty!" Coach sneered, glaring at me like I was a piece of gum on his shoe. We both stared in different kinds of shock at the composed student council president.

"Oh. Did I forget to mention that Anna kindly offered to help me organize the carnival?" A finger came up to touch her chin as she wondered aloud. "I believe she told me she wanted to redeem herself so I started by sending her out to pick up a few things for me and then I find her right back here saying she'd been wrongly accused." Her arms crossed as she fixed them with an unwavering gaze. "Something about a fire?"

"She started a fire down at the football field." Coach declared.

"She was walking away from the burning trashcan with that smug little grin of hers." Another growled, making me realize that I had more than student enemies now. _Fantastic!_

"We all saw it." The last confirmed.

"And how would Miss Crescent have done that if she doesn't even have a lighter on her?" Elsa moved out from behind her desk to come to my side. My heart jumped despite the predicament I was in.

"She probably got it from one of her equally no-good friends." Coach bared his teeth at me, but his statement was enough to make me clench my fists in anger.

"Hold on now." I growled protectively, taking a step forward. "Say all you want about _me_ , but you will leave my friends out of it." My words held enough poison to drop a cow. There was a spiteful fire in Coach's eyes that fueled my anger and had me instantly ready to send my fist straight into his big nose.

"She's right." Elsa came up behind me and placed a soothing hand on my shoulder. "Don't bring more people in than there should be and I'll not have you running down my extra set of hands because you _think_ you saw her set that trashcan on fire." Blue eyes met each of the three with her own righteous fury. Even her voice had a scary resolve in it that made goose flesh rise along my arms. Or was that her touch? _So much authority!_ Especially from the both of us and that alone made the teachers thankfully start to calm their jets. "Now if you don't mind, Miss Crescent and I have some place else to be." Turning toward the door, she called over her shoulder. "Come along, Anna."

I followed her command without question.

We walked in silence and as soon as we turned the first corner (a safe distance away from those halfwits) Elsa slowed her steps so she could say in a low voice to me, "Consider that a solid 'thank you' for helping me with my car last week."

 _Whoa. I should do something else for her if she's this nice about it._ The stupid thought made me slap myself mentally. "Sure?" I brought my hand up to scratch at my neck sheepishly, trying _not_ to recall the way I reacted afterwards. "I-it was nothing, really." Thinking that her generous public service was done today, I was about to go my own way when she looked over her shoulder at me.

"Would you care to escort me to the office?" She asked smoothly.

I paused mid-step. "What? Why?"

"I do believe I said you'd be helping me with the upcoming carnival." Elsa Mariani stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I-I didn't agree- since when did I agree to help you?" I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly. Unbeknownst to the pretty girl in front of me, my stupid face was ready to heat up in embarrassment.

"When I just saved your butt back there." She stated happily, making my head spin and face finally turn a nice shade of red. _Uh..._

"But- I-I just thought you said that that was your way of showing thanks?" I stammered.

"I changed my mind." The blue-eyed beauty shrugged. "You're going to help me with organizing the carnival. Whether you like it or not."

My stomach suddenly dropped when she finished and an unsettling feeling presented itself. _Since when does she act like this?_ An unwanted thought presented itself just then, making me fight off the urge to lash out at her. "This is about the fire isn't it?" I flexed my jaw angrily and whispered, "you think I did it." _You don't believe me._

"This has nothing to do with the fire, Anna." Elsa replied coolly.

I had no choice but to glare at her, not knowing or even understanding where all my frustration was coming from. I just knew that I was hurt. It hurt and I chose to mask it by turning slightly aggressive. "Then again, why _wouldn't_ you believe it wasn't me?" Placing my hands on my hips, I held her gaze. "I know you think I did it because who else would think to do something boneheaded like that?"

"There _are_ other troublemakers besides you, Anna." Elsa defended stealthily.

My nose flared. "You know what?" I blew out a frustrated breath and pushed my bangs out of my eyes. "I don't care what you or other people think of me." Instead of advancing on her and possibly freaking her out, I stayed glued to my spot. "I'll help you, but _don't_ go thinking I'll be happy doing it." Turning away, I had every intention of running from this upsetting scene. _I don't need your pity. Not from you._ I thought bitterly. But really, did I deserve to be this upset over her not believing me? If anything, _I_ didn't deserve _any_ trust whatsoever.

It _was_ her that had to deal with my reckless behavior since day one anyway.

"I never said I _didn't_ believe you." Elsa's voice went a little softer than before, like she was trying to soothe the wounds that were unknowingly opened by her. I gulped down any other thoughts. "You're a lot of things, Anna." My name on her gentle lips made me hesitate. "You're foolish, reckless, a little bit of a show-off and clumsy, but your mind works differently compared to the other attention-seeking rebels in our school. I don't know much about you, but what I _do_ know is that you're no arsonist."

I turned all the way back around then. Blue met teal. For the first time in what felt like ever, Elsa had acknowledged me like an actual person. My heart suddenly leapt at the thought. _Who cares about those insults?_ I deserved them. "Wh-"

"I'll see you later, Anna." Elsa gave me one last look before turning away to sway down the hall.

Before I could really fathom the insane amount of joy that would have overcome me, I felt one particular knife twist in my gut. It made me face-palm once the full extent of Elsa's words finally absorbed in my mind.

 _You actually think I'm foolish._

* * *

 _A/N: A little longer chapter, but I figured you all wouldn't mind ^^_

 _As for the one who mentioned the 'old school' feel of the school...I am a 90's kid and school was so much simpler back in my time. *strokes invisible beard* Shout out to the class of 2011! (Also, thanks for the pairing tip. Never thought to try doing it until you said so.) Anyway, I'm glad you're all liking it still._

 _Tootles~_


	8. Dangerous

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Behind me, the stereo started a new playlist I'd put together a few nights ago thanks to Kida showing me how to get songs for free. Okay, it might have been illegal, but I wasn't about to question her knowledge of it. (As long as I had new songs whenever I wanted, I didn't care too much.)

 _'It's haunting. This hold you have on me. I grow so weak.'_

Lifting the brush, I started at the top of my head and painted as well as I could until it reached the tip of my hair.

' _I see you, and everything around you fades. And I can't speak.'_

As if on cue, my mind wandered off to a familiar set of icy blue eyes and a different enticing scent filled my senses since the actual smell from around my room hit my nose, making it sting.

' _But you can never know, what it is you do to me. (What it is you do to me.)_ '

A smirk curled my lips as the song picked up and I quickly wrapped the strand of hair I'd chosen in a special foil I'd gotten earlier.

 _'I can't take what you're doing to me. I can't take it.'_

Grabbing another strand from my bangs, I ignored the light stinging of my eyes and painted that piece too.

 _'No matter what I say or what I do, I know how this will end. So I'm turning away now before we begin.'_

After wrapping that one and tying my hair up to place in a plastic bag, I sat for a minute and just stared at my reflection.

' _And no matter what you say or what you do, I know how this will end. So I'm turning away now.'_

"' _I'm dangerous for you.'"_ I breathed out along with the song, eyes never leaving the familiar stranger's wide teal colored ones.

' _You touch me and I can barely make a move. And I can't breathe. You can never know, what it is you do to me.'_

 _"'What it is you do to me."_ My lips twitched into a wider smile when I thought about how ridiculous I looked with the foil in only two places of my head. The reflection did too, letting me see the numerous freckles dance all across her nose and eyes alight with mirth. At this moment, I was almost completely lost, free of the stress of this world.

Thoughts of Elsa Mariani didn't seem to plague my every minute.

 _'The only promise I could make you is that my promise is a lie.'_

Standing up, I finally drew my eyes away from the mirror to trash everything that I'd brought home with me. I wouldn't have use of it again.

 _'My promise is I will hurt you.'_

* * *

Thursday.

"What. Did. You. DO?!" Kida's blue eyes grew wider than I'd ever seen them as she gaped at my new look. I honestly didn't think to keep the chosen strands platinum blonde for long. _Black might be a good option._ Her fingers came up to tug pointedly at my pigtail before dropping it to push her finger through my bangs while my shoulders came up in a shrug.

"I got kissed by a troll." I smirked triumphantly until she hastily yanked the beanie I'd been wearing back down on my head.

"Kristoff! Why'd you do it?" She asked when Kristoff came up to us.

"Do what?" He inquired lazily after coming back from a yawn, thankfully not noticing my hair. Yet. I knew I'd eventually be in _more_ trouble with him, but for the moment, I was safe.

"Anna says she got kissed by a troll." Kida snickered, making me reach over to smack her arm on instinct.

At the same instant, the corner of Kristoff's nose turned up in a sneer while mine twisted in feigned disgust. "Oh. You're _real_ funny, Nedakh." He glared at her.

" _Though this be madness, yet there is method in't..."_ Olaf chimed in randomly before leaning over to me with his script in hand. Eyes pleading.

"Good morning fair Polonius!" I finally got to speak again and then glanced over the paper in his hands, knowing what he wanted without him even saying anything. "It means that even though Hamlet is talking crazy, it actually makes sense in some weird way. Or-" I smirked at him, "there's _method_ to his words." _Honestly. I'm not even in Drama Club and he runs to me every time._

Olaf nodded vigorously anyway and wrote a small note by that line while Kristoff scratched his head in confusion and Kida's brows were raised in amusement. "Yes, Miss Crescent. Do continue. What is the assertion there?" She drawled in a mock authoritative voice, making me take a stance and cross my arms defiantly.

 _They asked for it._ My spine straightened as my mouth opened. "Polonius's assertion is _ironic_ because he is both right _and_ wrong. Why? Because Polonius believes Hamlet is acting 'mad' because of his love for Ophelia. (Guess love does that sort of thing.)" I pretended not to know about the odd thought and continued. "While he's right to assume there _is_ some reason behind Hamlet's actions, he is, in fact, _incorrect_ as to the exact cause." I held up a finger to Olaf's nose. "See, Hamlet is purposefully acting mad to disguise his true mission to avenge his daddy's murder."

Olaf, Kida, Kristoff, and Ms. Mode all stared at me in shock.

 _Wait. Ms. Mode?!_ I had to take a second look and once the scary short woman registered fully in my vision, I gulped in budding panic. "Brilliant Dah-ling!" She threw her hands out excitedly, smacking Kida and Kristoff in the process. I took a step back as her dark eyes suddenly turned wilder and far more fiery from behind her thick-rimmed glasses. _Uh-oh. What have I done?_ "You will be my new Ophelia." She was practically foaming at the mouth.

"U-uh, well- I-I'm- I'm already...in the archery club!" I put my hands up defensively, backing up all the while. Ms. Mode followed like a predator, intent on sinking her teeth deep into my soul. _Oh man._

"Arendelle doesn't _have_ an archery program." She grinned maliciously.

 _Dangit, I need to get a list of the actual clubs that are here!_ I cursed myself and then turned and tried to book it when her surprisingly strong arms clamped around me. My eyes widened in fear as she began trying to get away. Dramatically.

"I-I-I'd be honored, but I'm helping- ow! out with the upcoming fundraiser thing-y!" I yelped out frantically, not noticing a pair of blue and hazel eyes watching in amusement a few feet away from our little scene. Not to mention that those _other_ imbeciles were too busy laughing their heads off to even think about helping me. "You're cutting off my circulation!" I cried.

"Say 'yes'!" The scary woman demanded, dragging along after me as I tried to trudge away.

"I can't." I grunted through my teeth.

"You will!"

"I won't!"

" _Please_ , my sweet, sweet redhead! I need you like a bee needs honey!"

"Bees make their own honey!"

"I need you like Olaf always needs his script!"

"Hey!" Olaf stopped laughing, only to be jabbed by a gasping Kida. Kristoff had his arms crossed, but had his head turned away while he shook with silent laughter. _Darn all of you!_

"Fine. That was mean." Ms. Mode waved him off before turning back to me. "Then I need you to replace Ophelia!" She tried one last time. With some success, I might add.

I paused to glance over my shoulder at her with a confused frown. "You have a girl named _Ophelia_ playing...Ophelia?"

"She's terrible, darling. But no one else tried for that part but her, so you see, I _had_ to give it."

"I-I only know the guy parts!" My face heated up more fervently when Olaf snorted like a loon. "Not that- I didn't mean it like that- I-" The sudden sound of the bell had me inwardly shouting for joy as I finally managed to wrestle out of her powerful grasp and wasted no time in racing for my life to my first class.

I never thought I'd be so happy to see my first hour teacher!

* * *

Friday evening.

I'd successfully managed to squeeze out from under prying eyes, Ms. Mode and Elsa's somewhat stern thumb to find myself at _Truman's Motorcycle & Auto School _for my first night of getting my license. As excited as I was, I couldn't help but let out a bored yawn. Seriously, after being in school all week with all it's utter chaos in the last two days, who would be jazzed about spending _more_ time in a classroom? _The bike, Anna. Remember the bike._ Taking a deep breath, I quickly took a seat and let the learning begin.

Or I would have, if the instructor didn't go around asking each of us to state our names, asking us _why_ we were taking the course, and how much riding experience we had. I had none whatsoever, but there were a good amount of people who'd been riding for decades. Luckily though, I wasn't the only one that was there to get a license because most were getting theirs back or refreshing their skills after being off the bike for awhile. (We were basically all beginners at the time.)

What got me though was that there actually a lot of women in that class. I didn't know why, but I had thought there would definitely be more middle-aged _guys_ there. Meaning, ones looking to relive their youth, or big biker boys, or meatheads feeling the need for speed. _Wow, Anna. Anymore dumb conclusions?_ I snorted to myself and removed my beanie, so I didn't seem untoward as I stood up to address myself. "Hi, everybody. My name is Anna-"

"Hi, Anna." They all repeated, making me smirk inwardly. Nervousness gone for the moment.

"I've been sober for three months now-" more snickers followed that comment and I let out my own chuckle before clearing my throat to continue. "Really though, I'm taking this course because I heard that riding can be one of the most incredible experiences a person will ever have and I would love to see what all the fuss is about." I gave a light smile to the instructor and then scratched my nose sheepishly, "a-and I have _zero_ experience."

Once my intro was over, another girl stood up with an alluring smile. She had tan skin, long, thick, wavy black hair and striking emerald eyes. Now _her_ I had to really question why she was taking the class. She seemed too sultry and free-spirited to do something like ride her own bike. _Maybe the question is: Why DOESN'T she already have a license?_ "Hello." She waved when we repeated the greeting. "I'm Esmeralda and I'm taking this course because I'm sick and tired of riding on the back of my boyfriend's bike all the time." Again, everyone chuckled. Even _I_ had a grin on my face. "But, to put it plainly: I want my own license. Also, I have a good amount of experience with a bike." Taking a mock bow, she then sat, allowing the next person to go. ' _To put it plainly'_ : She was very attractive.

Which was why everyone seemed to be looking at her still.

Luckily, there was only one other guy that introduced himself before we got into our lesson. A lesson that included textbook scenarios on everything from getting _on_ the bike to finding the controls, to defensive driving, and to avoiding hazards. Between the different subjects, the instructor had us watch a topic-specific recap video in order to quiz us. (Quite thoroughly at that.)

By ten o'clock the class ended, along with the last bit of brain cells I had left. _Holy cow...how am I supposed to remember all of this?!_ I was sure the top of my head was steaming as I put my beanie back on and slung my bag tiredly over my shoulder. "Whoa! Watch where you're swinging that." A defiant voice called out, making me gasp.

"I-I'm sorry-" My words caught in my throat when my gaze was seized by crazy green eyes. "Hi." I blurted suddenly, feeling my face begin to heat up in embarrassment when I saw who it was.

"Anna, right?" She asked after smoothing her slight frown over with a softer look. (We were all mentally beat.)

"Yeah. That's me." I nodded before awkwardly turning to walk away, not expecting her to follow.

"I'm Esmeralda." She easily caught up with me, what with her insane long legs there for the boost. It was probably a good thing she was wearing jeans because I was sure I wouldn't know where else to look if she were in a skirt. "You're in high school aren't you?"

I glanced up at her. "Yes. What gave me away?"

"Oh, I don't know," She drawled playfully, "maybe the fact that you're wearing a school uniform?"

"I'm cosplaying." I sent her a hesitant smirk, which she returned tenfold. I knew then that I could joke around with her and she'd respond well enough.

"I used to go to Arendelle high, sweetheart." She snorted. "I _know_ this torture."

"It _is_ torture having to wear a skirt every day." I nodded and then looked away, "okay, maybe it's not so bad, but the teachers can get pushy about the stupid dress code sometimes." Emphasizing my jacket and beanie made her chuckle before stretching her arms over her head.

"Same with me." Esmeralda agreed, keeping her arms like that for a few more steps. I kept my eyes locked straight ahead because I could tell from my peripheral vision that her midriff was partially exposed. " _Oh_ , is Coach Smoot still there?" She suddenly asked, making me nearly choke on my tongue.

"Yeah. He's the bane of my existence." I managed to grumble before shoving my hands into my pockets.

"I know!" She barked out a laugh. I always used to get sent to the office because of that ape-man for stupid reasons. And for calling him Smootie-Bootie." _Seriously?_ We shared another gut-busting laugh as we exited the building and were greeted with the chilly night air. It was refreshing on both ends and when I suddenly veered off, she stopped me. "Do you have a way home?"

"No." I boldly smirked back and then pointed to the front bushes of the building. "I'm actually off to get some firewood so I can camp out here tonight." Nodding to myself, I caught her rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "You see, I'm secretly a Nomad, free to go wherever the wind takes me." I had no idea where that all was coming from, but I chose to go with it. _Maybe my brain really is fried._

"Okay, Miss Free Spirit." She snorted sarcastically. "But, if you really need a ride, _La Fidèle_ and I would be happy to give it to you."

"You named your car?" I asked with a raised brow, making her smile widely and then point to a lone bike parked in the lot across the way.

" _La Fidèle_ is a customized purple KTM 640 Adventure. Good for wild off-roading on Saturday and then rushing to work on Monday." A pause while she crossed her arms in front of her cockily. "I told you I have experience." Esmeralda beamed with so much pride that I almost accepted her offer with no hesitance at all. Almost.

"My dad's over there." I ground out longingly, jabbing my thumb over my shoulder.

"Maybe tomorrow then?" Esmeralda asked after checking behind me too. Before I could question, she spoke up again. "I just figured you'd want to know how it felt to be a professional rider. Riding behind one at least." She winked, making me swallow thickly.

Luckily, the odd chill I got was thwarted by another thought. "But you don't even have your license yet." I stated blankly, making her growl at me and I feared she would knock my block off.

"Emphasis on the 'yet,' Miss Free Spirit." Thankfully, she only let out another laugh before sauntering off to her beloved bike. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Bye." I gave her a small wave and then jogged over to where my dad's car sat with the basic understanding of a motorcycle's layout, operating it and basic riding techniques filling my spinning head. I couldn't help but wonder if I was ready for the real thing or not.

 _Guess we'll see._

* * *

 _A/N: Right. I was going to make this all one chapter...but I think it would've been really, really long. Longer? So I'll split it here. (I own nothing.)_

 _Thanks for reading/reviewing/favoring/and following. Ya'll stay flamin'_

 _Tootles~_


	9. The Slip

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _I don't know about this._

Frowning at the supplied bike assigned to me earlier, I swallowed thickly and inadvertently wrung my gloved hands together in slight nervousness. "Take 'em off. Go back to the shed and get a pair from Amanda." My head snapped to the side to see the instructor slowly making his way toward me. The poor guy he was talking- well, _reprimanding_ , nodded and then skittered off, leaving me the next victim as intense brown eyes scanned my gear.

"New boots?" He asked me with a smirk after he was done looking below.

"I wanted red cowboy boots, but my dad told me to be realistic." I answered before extending my foot, showing off my new pair of ankle-high black biker boots my dad had surprised me with the night before. (While I was in the first class, he was out getting them. And the gloves.) _Thank you, daddy._ I thought as the instructor nodded in satisfaction at me and then moved on. Unbeknownst to him, my confidence level raised a bit more. Or was I finally waking up? It _was_ just after seven a.m., anyway.

Once he was done giving the rest of the students a comprehensive once-over, he first told us to just sit on our bikes to get a feel for the weight and where all the controls were before actually pushing the ignition. My eyes scanned the smoothness of the metal beast between my legs in both awe and a bit of trepidation. _All this power. At the push of a button..._

"What does FINE-C stand for?" The instructor called out, making me snap my eyes forward automatically. Looking around, I saw the rest of the class either looking at each other in confusion (or, in Esmeralda's case) checking their phones. "Come on people! We only just learned this last night." He waited. They all tried to think and murmur more questions than answers to one another, but I hesitantly cleared my throat and spoke up.

"Fuel, Ignition, Neutral, Engine cut-off switch, Choke and Clutch." I answered and already felt my face heat up when the sensation of eyes suddenly presented themselves all around me. It _was_ something we needed to review every time we started our bikes, so why not do my best to remember it?

"Outstanding." He chuckled proudly before coming to stand infront of me. "You should think about getting those red boots."

* * *

A few hours later.

I was tired and sore. No question about it.

Over the span of about six hours, we had run through a variety of exercises that were meant to emphasize basic motorcycle operation. We learned how to break and downshift properly and to get a feel for where the clutch began. The instructors told us that the early stages of learning how to ride a motorcycle were all about developing muscle memory. If we got that down right off the bat, our minds and eyes were free to scan the road.

Each exercise had begun with a verbal explanation, followed by a visual demonstration. While others picked up on it right away, I had to do a few of them over and over again until I was comfortable, but I didn't mind the extra time because the instructors provided helpful tips and constructive feedback about my riding techniques. If I had to say, it was actually pretty fun and I'd also gotten a few tips from Esmeralda since we were side by side most of the time.

Once the basics were down, the instructors lined the course with a lot of little orange cones. That new layout was designed for us to try out what we'd learned right at the beginning of class. Surprisingly, I had taken to it quite easily enough and kept getting told to _slow down_ and _quit showing off_ (along with Esmeralda, so I wasn't completely alone.) If anything, her and I were already competing with one another and if not, _she_ kept goading me to do it. So that was that.

Finally when all was said and done, we were herded back into the classroom for a couple more hours of review and a short written test.

 _One more day!_ I found myself practically crawling back to my dad's car, forgetting altogether that I'd told Esmeralda that I'd get dropped off by her in the first place.

* * *

Sunday.

Letting a big yawn slip from my lips, I pulled my gloves on and started my 'borrowed' bike up. For the first exercise the instructors let us do was a large figure eight in a box to test our timing, breaking, accelerating and cornering all at once. After yesterday, I felt my sore muscles and memory snap together as I let myself cruise through the drills on obstacles, hazards, emergency braking, cornering and all else they threw at me.

We also learned how to ride over 2x4s and how to make complex turns and slow figure eights. They had us weave through narrow and wide slaloms and then finally around noon, we participated in completing a final course exam. They informed us that it was indeed part two to the one we took the night before, so that coupled with the fact that it was the _last_ day was utter good news all around.

I felt like a completely new person when I got my test results back.

* * *

Monday.

 _'Loving can hurt. Loving can hurt sometimes, but it's the only thing that I know.'_ With one side of my earbuds in and sauntering down the hall, I slowly made my way to the classroom Kai had informed me to wait outside of once classes were done. They actually weren't done yet, but I figured I would sneak out of my boring last-hour class. _'When it gets hard. You know it can get hard sometimes. It is the only thing that makes us feel alive.'_ Okay, maybe I did blatantly ditch my dance class, but it was still better than listening to the different ways to two step when I already knew how to do that.

I leaned against the wall and chose to listen to the song for a minute.

 _'We keep this love in a photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken. Time's forever still.'  
So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans. Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet. You won't be alone. Wait for me to come home.'_

My empty gaze across the corridor was suddenly jostled from me when the door opened to let out a flow of students. _When did the bell ring?_ I had no time to think when a familiar flash of platinum blonde showed up beside me once they all dispersed.

"Anna?" Elsa looked a little surprised when I registered fully to her. Ignoring that look, I felt my body warm a bit more at the ever present radiance she exuded.

"Miss Mariani." I managed to voice without stammering. _Guess Kai didn't tell- no, SHE didn't tell him to tell me to meet her here!_ It was too late to feel awkward about it now. _Smooth, Kai._ I cleared my throat, inwardly nibbling on my lip.

She then smoothed her perfect face back over into a quick acknowledging smile, nodded once and then turned back down the opposite way. Leaving me to take a deep breath to calm my nerves before following right behind her.

"Can I ask why we couldn't start last Friday?" Elsa asked after a few silent steps.

"I had a thing I needed to do." I shrugged, adjusting the strap on my right shoulder while turning my iPod down some. Being back in her presence caused me to think about the way we left things the last time I actually spoke to her. I had no right to lose my cool with her when she only was trying to help me, but she didn't seem to be upset about it or anything. _Should I apologize for my behavior, then?_ I _did not_ act like that and I didn't want her thinking that I was unstable and unpredictable as well. Unfortunately before I could even open my mouth, she beat me to it.

"You realize I didn't start without you, right?" Elsa Mariani's voice easily into my ears, killing my train of thought and making me start to smile before coughing. _Stupid brain._

"Yes- well, I-I didn't know that." I admitted shakily. "But now I do. And now I'm here, so let's do it." My cheeks heated instantly at the way that came out, but it was already too late to stammer out some other sort of nonsense. I could only hope she didn't take it some other way. _I'm an idiot._ It was good thing I was walking a step behind her and not beside her, otherwise she might have seen my evident embarrassment.

Deciding to steer away from that unhelpful subject and start up a new conversation, I had to ask. "So...does this mean I'm exempt from cleaning? Or do you plan on keeping _that_ basic torture up while we plan this shindig?"

There was a short pause and I thought I saw her shoulders quiver with a silent giggle. "Stop making up excuses so I can cancel your janitorial duties and we might be able to keep this carnival from being delayed." She said instead. I could hear the light mirth in her accented words, but I ended up rolling my eyes.

"It was a _legitimate_ excuse." I scoffed and then pulled my phone out to reply to messages from Olaf and Kristoff. "Like I'd willingly ditch you." Muttering to myself, I didn't see her come to a stop until I bumped into her and ultimately dropped my phone while I was at it. My arms flew out to steady myself like an idiot as I took a step back and we both watched it helplessly clatter to the floor. Settling in three pieces. _Great._

Again, we accidentally bashed our heads together as we both reached to gather the pieces up and I couldn't help but bark out a demeaning laugh. _Seriously?_ "We've _got_ to stop meeting like this." I snickered, ignoring the light jolt of pain that flashed through my head at the point of contact. "But don't worry, I got it." After picking my battery and back case up, I put my poor phone back together so I could turn it on again. When that was done, looked up to see that we'd already arrived at the boardroom. _So, that's why she stopped._ I had half a mind to think that she'd stopped because of my earlier statement. _Sure, girl. That's a good one._

Snapping out of my reverie, I focused back on the present. Elsa was gingerly rubbing her temple, but if she had any sort of reaction to our collision, she didn't show it as she quietly walked into the room. On the other hand, I had to bite my lip to keep from chuckling out loud at that adorable display.

Regardless that I was acting out a bit, I was still as nervous as ever around her. My stomach was filled with either butterflies or bricks at a given moment and my heart was pounding, hands clammy, but I tried to hold on to my sanity, lest I babble like a moron for the rest of the day. Which would probably happen, no matter how hard I tried to contain it because Elsa Mariani had that kind of effect on me.

When I got to her desk, she had already set out a large sheet of paper and was holding a marker up to me once I dropped my bag at my feet. I stared dumbly at it for a moment before looking back at her in question.

"We're going to start brainstorming." She informed, prompting me to take the marker again.

"And you want _me_ to write?" I asked hesitantly as I took the marker from her. "I should warn you that I have the world's worse handwriting."

"Have a seat and we'll get started." Elsa tried to hide a smirk to no avail, making me sigh mock heavily before noisily dragging a chair over so I could sit opposite of her while I wrote.

"Don't blame me if you can't read it." I muttered, uncapping the marker in the process.

"I think we'll manage. Now, what do you think we should have?" She wasted no time and dived right in.

"Sharpshooting." Was the first thought that came to mind.

"No." Elsa deadpanned.

"Archery."

"No."

"A puppet show?"

"...no." She frowned at my inwardly chuckling self. "Have you been to a carnival before?"

Her question made me stop twirling the marker around my fingers to glance at her. "I don't know, the ones the school usually held were pretty lame." I shrugged. "They were kinda boring to be honest. I mean who doesn't have a single Ferris wheel at their one-time-a-year fun day?"

" _I_ planned them." She defended, making a cold sweat suddenly break out across my neck as a thick silence filled the room.

I thought I heard a pin drop. "D-did I mention that the House of Mirrors was pretty fun?"

"Too late." Elsa actually let out a small chuckle at my expense, but I was too busy kicking myself to really enjoy the melodic sound. _Way to go, Anna!_

"Moving on." I cleared my throat and finally removed my earbud to give my full attention. Elsa leaned forward too, intent on getting somewhere more so now than two seconds ago. "What about that fishing game?" I asked. She nodded so I quickly wrote it down. "The Basketball game. Darts. Baseball-" soon, I was jotting whatever else came to mind down without her consent and only when I got to the bottom of the page did I sit back to take a breather. _Whew!_ The stench of permanent marker burned through my nose and eyes so I rubbed my nose to try to assuage light stinging.

There was another quiet moment as she took the paper back to read over it. "Bumper cars, Anna?" She asked after glancing through. _Of all them, you choose that one?_

"Why not? They're fun." I pushed my bangs out of my eyes and then reached down to unzip my bag so I could fish around for my beanie.

"Seriously?"

"Uh, y _eah_." I snorted at her skeptical tone as I pulled the beanie securely over my head, keeping my hair out of my eyes. "I could wipe the floor with you after one round of bumper cars, Mariani."

Her response was her own snort, but she said nothing more. Though I _did_ catch the underlying _sure you can_ in that rare display of playfulness. "A hot dog eating- Anna were you even thinking when you wrote some of these down?"

"Not really." I replied honestly and brought the marker up to balance it between my upper lip and nose. "But look, if you want this year's carnival to be a success, you've gotta give me some room to breathe so I can put some epic-ness in it." I added before tilting the marker from side to side, feeling goofy suddenly. I blamed the marker.

"Dunk the Clown?"

"It's awesome!" I threw my hands up in exasperation before letting the marker fall from my face and then gave her a skeptical once over. "Have _you_ ever been to a carnival?" When she didn't look up, I felt compelled to press further, throwing caution to the wind. "Do you _know_ what fun is?"

That got her attention. Blue eyes met mine counteractively as she leaned back in her chair. An odd surge of adrenaline suddenly rushed through my veins at the sight of her slight aggressiveness. "If you're talking about breaking widows-"

A clipped growl left my mouth. "Oh, don't go there." I waved her off nonchalantly before smirking cockily. "Besides, only the _cool_ kids get to have that kind of fun."

"And what am I, chopped liver?" She asked, frowning once again.

"Nah, liver is quite nasty." I turned my eyes away and looked up to the ceiling. "You're more of a Barbie."

"Excuse me?" Elsa then stood up to glare down at me. Her sternness ultimately made me sink lower in my seat. _Was that too much?_ It was amazing to find that I had managed to forget that it was _Elsa Mariani_ I'd been talking to and had inadvertently started teasing. The girl of my dreams was now standing defensively with her arms crossed infront of her chest.

Regardless, I still tried to play it off. "What? What'd I say?"

"You know what you said." Elsa replied.

"No, I don't know what I said, but I didn't mean it." I waved the marker around.

"You mean _everything_ you say." Elsa stated.

"And sometimes I mean _nothing_ when I say something."

"Something is _never_ nothing. It's always something."

"Well, most of what I say is nothing, it's just something to say." I couldn't help but feel a bit of giddiness at seeing her getting more irritated than before. Something about her expression and reaction to what I was saying was a little satisfying for a reason I couldn't understand.

"You're just saying 'it's just something to say' in order to get away with saying something, but you actually know you're saying something when you say it."

"Say, _what_? What did I say?" I choked down a chuckle, actually faltering under her unwavering icy gaze. Her stance alone had me leaning forward in my chair, ready to bolt if need be.

"What did you mean when you said I'm a _Barbie_?" She asked, not bothering to drop the subject. I bit my tongue nervously. _Calling her a Barbie: no. Barbie, bad._ A stupid grin tried to split my face, but her next words shut me up. "I'm not a drama queen if that's what you really meant."

My hands came up in surrender while I raised a questioning brow. _Drama queen?_ "No. I-I meant-" _You're really, really pretty when you're mad._ I gulped and then stood up too, lest I suddenly blurt my jumbled mind. "W-we should throw in a barbecue! A tailgate one to raise money for the bumper cars." I gave her a wide, unconvincing smile before leaning down to scribble it on the paper. _What's wrong with me?_

"Anna-"

My eyes dropped to my blank wrist. "Wow, look at the time! Did you know the school closes early on Mondays? Guess I'd better go." I recapped the marker, tossed it down and quickly scooped up my bag. I found myself booking it before she even had a chance to stop me.

 _That was epic! But, maybe one of these days I'll stop running._

* * *

 _A/N: Hooray some Elsanna! Though, with their interactions, I guess I could have lead the story in an entirely different way...maybe I can still salvage it. We'll see._

 _Anyway, I hope you're enjoying it. Thanks for the reads/faves/likes/reviews._

 _Tootles~_


	10. Bel Cuore

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"We got another engine mount problem." I brought the information into Danny's office and placed it on his desk. He was busy looking through one of his filing cabinets and when he turned around I could see the clear frustration on his muscular face.

"Hey. Listen, Missy-" Danny raised his meaty fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'm completely swamped. Think you can handle it?"

"But, I haven't done things like that before. N-not without help, that is." I shrugged it off and fiddled with the tied sleeves of my blue jumpsuit. It was a little too stuffy in the garage so I opted to just unzip and tie it around my waist while my undershirt was visible. But what had surprised me more was that my boss was so out if it that he hadn't noticed how dirty I was.

He scrubbed his face before glancing at the clock behind him. "We're just really behind on...stuff."

 _Huh._ " _Stuff_ I wouldn't understand? Business stuff?" I drawled, checking my already dirty, short nails. They were already clipped short, but my constant working with grease, oil and other things that go with a vehicle meant that my hands were getting callous and were usually a little tough to clean.

"Starting with last month, there have been a ton of missed appointments that left people without their cars and while I strive to maintain loyal customers, keep you guys happy, and have an honest, trustworthy name..." He sighed, muttering something about not being able to catch a break and then sighed tiredly. "We're also overbooked."

I blinked in confusion. He'd lost me _way_ back there somewhere. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you." Danny chuckled, noticing the blank look on my face and pulled his glasses off his nose so he could place them on his desk.

Scratching the back of my neck sheepishly, I gave him a small grin. "I see why you compiled _all_ of that as stuff." I couldn't help the light chuckle that crept out of my lips and this time I went to sit in the chair opposite of him.

"I just don't get it, Missy. What am I doing wrong?" Danny asked before getting up to get us both a soda from his mini refrigerator. When he held it out to me, I thanked him and immediately popped it open.

"For starters, Gramps-" I took a delightful sip and then placed it on his desk. "You _could_ lose the Rolodex." Gesturing to the numerous papers scattered all over the surface and even some on the floor, I made sure he got what I was talking about. "Seriously boss, this is the age of technology. Now, I'm all for the traditional ways because there's always the uncertainty of computers crashing and whatnot, but think about having _all_ of this reduced to a simple one-screen computer. You could even-" Cutting myself off, I brought out my phone as an idea presented itself in my mind.

Danny frowned at me, but I held up a finger while my other hand furiously typed in the search box. Once I found what I was looking for, I sprang up to walk around his desk until I was beside him. He put his glasses back on when I all but shoved my phone up his nose. "Right here says: the system will increase the number of bookings, it saves time, it'll improve your ROI." I continued to scroll down. "Your customers could set up appointments via email or text message so they won't miss so much appointments and it'll give us (your workers) flexibility-"

"Shut up and order it, already!" Danny chortled, patting my shoulder gratefully. "I have no idea what you just said, but I'm willing to try anything at this point."

"It's all about organization." I shrugged like I knew what I was talking about, but decided to tell Giovanni about it so he could do the ordering. Knowing me, I would probably send it all over the place before it arrived back here in worse shape than when it was ordered. The thought made me inwardly chuckle at the ridiculous lengths my mind could go. "Oh. And don't worry about the engine mount. I already took care of it." It was my turn to pat his shoulder, leaving a grease stain there, before grabbing my soda and leaving him to think about it. Or try catching up again.

* * *

"...barrings, change the oil and the battery, fix the side mirrors, order new signal lights, strip the old paint of the farrings, paint it and you'll have her up and running!" Giovanni and Marko told me right before I could tell them about the new computer idea. My head was spinning for a minute until I realized he was talking about my bike.

"Right. I'll get right on it?" I tilted my head in question, but then pulled them over to where there was less noise. "Which one of you has a computer?"

"What's that?" Marko asked jokingly, making me roll my eyes.

"I don't know how to operate it." Giovanni admitted. "Last time I tried to use it, the computer geek squad had to come and replace the modem I broke."

My brows rose in amusement and then I blew my bangs out of my eyes. "Petro!" I waved the curly black haired boy over. "Got your tablet on you?" He nodded and then jogged back over to the lockers before bounding back.

"What's up?" He asked, pushing a hand through his awesome head of hair.

"We have _got_ to order a new computer system before Black Bear Auto gets the boot because we're too old school." I stated like it was a secret.

"What's wrong with that?" Giovanni asked, crossing his arms in mock offense.

"Nothing." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Grandpa."

"Yeah, are you going to call us young whipper snappers?" Petro grinned playfully while he and I browsed around on the web.

"Careful. They might bop us one." I snorted, shooting the older men a wink and then pointed to the simplest looking software they had.

"You kids are so corrupted." Marko snickered, but before he could walk back to the partly fixed bike, I hurriedly tugged him back so we get that thing ordered.

* * *

Back at school.

 _'I watched the sun again, it's leaving now. I've spent all night long trying to figure out_  
 _what I've lost and what I've failed when my feet won't hit the ground. Trying to make it, starting over, and will we ever love again?'_

Ignoring the looks I was getting, I maneuvered through the flow if students until the boardroom came into view and only then did I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

The last time I was there, it didn't go so well. _Now she thinks I think she's total bimbo'd Barbie._ I chewed my lip and then reached for my iPod to change the song so as to build my confidence up. Maybe.

 _'Yeah he's a looker, but I really think it's guts that matter most. I displayed them for you,_  
 _strewn out about from coast to coast.'_

A silent snort rumbled from my nose before I pushed the door open, lest I end up running away again. I didn't think either of us needed that at the moment.

 _'I am easily make believe, just dress me up in what you want me to be. I'll take back what I've been saying for quite some time now.'_

Elsa Mariani was running a frustrated hand through her hair much Danny had been the other day. She'd been so focused that she didn't even notice my entrance until I dropped my bag in front of her desk. She let out a short gasp and even jumped in surprise before fixing me with a stern look.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't sneak up on me like that."

I pulled out my earbuds and then leaned over. "Sorry. Whatcha working on?" That time it was _her_ that moved away like my breath smelt of onions. _It didn't, did it?_ "I don't bite." I mocked her own words, making her smile just a tiny bit. "Very hard anyway." She snorted and rolled her eyes at me.

 _Was that a blush?_ I had no time to really look as Elsa then got up to pace around her desk. My hands pulled the confusing looking stack of paper over into my line of vision while I sat on the edge of the desk. "So...what am I looking at, exactly?" Trying to figure out what all that junk was was making my brain hiss in over exertion.

"Our budget, sponsorship and emergency back ups."

"For the Carnival?" I asked, flipping one alien page over to another one.

"No, for the car wash." Elsa snipped sarcastically.

I let a smirk grace my lips before tossing the papers back on her side. "Smarty-Pants." If Elsa was messed up over it, there was no doubt I'd be right there with her. _Heh, you're already lost._ "What's the matter, anyway? I thought I chose a little more cheaper list you could deal with." I asked, resisting the urge to force her to stop pacing. Pacing made me nervous.

"Nothing." She huffed, pushing her hand through her gorgeous hair again. "Everything."

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked, finally reaching out to touch her shoulder in hopes she would stop. She froze before snapping her head back to look at me in a mixture of surprise and question. Our eyes stayed locked on each other for a few seconds and in that short second, I saw a slight skepticism flash through her pretty ones. It was like she was asking if I was serious. "Look, I might not be able to give you the best advice known to the human race, but I can listen."

"We have work to do." She tried to conclude after a heartbeat of heavy consideration. At that pathetic type of excuse, I threw up my hands in exasperation and then boldly took her wrist in mine. "Hey-"

"Hey yourself. Let's go somewhere." I said over my shoulder as I lead her out of the boardroom.

"Anna." She actually had the slightest hint of a whine in her honey-dipped voice.

" _Elsa_." I whined in exaggeration.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Anna, we have a lot of work to do." Elsa stopped walking, making me stop as well. "And we're not even supposed to be wandering around-"

"Oh, quit being such a Barbie." I groaned, but then turned to give her a teasing grin.

"...I am not a Barbie." She tried to be stern, but hadn't even thought to take her hand back. Normally, that would have made me start to trip over myself. Too bad I was on a mission. Though, that didn't mean my heart wasn't about to fly out of my chest.

"Okay then. Prove it." I drawled tauntingly. " _Barbie._ "

Those blue eyes of hers hardened in determination as she straightened her spine. A flutter of adrenaline surged through me as well and I couldn't stop from shooting her a giddy grin. Looking about cautiously, I tugged her along and kept close to the walls until we reached the main hallway where we crouched lower to the floor. Around the corner, I could hear either Zeus or Piney vacuuming and just as Elsa glanced the other way, I stealthily slid across the newly polished floor until I was out of sight.

Elsa looked back, only to blink in surprise before searching all over for me. When her eyes found mine, I held a finger to my lips and then motioned for her to come to me without distracting the man down the other hall. Uncertainty showed clear on her face, which made me poke my head around to see the back of Piney as he continued to clean. I took the first opening I saw fit and then dashed back to her, tripping in the process, but I easily covered it by doing a barrel roll. Elsa barely held in a squeak and fell back on her rear as I ended up right in front of her with our nose almost touching.

"What's the matter?" I asked again, ignoring the way my stomach flopped around like a fish at being so close to her. She didn't answer, so I looked back around the corner and to my chagrin, Piney was making his way back down the corridor. _Oh man!_ I shot back up before grabbing Elsa's wrist again and this time, we ran down the opposite hallway.

Skidding around the corner, I pulled Elsa along with me and couldn't stop myself from laughing when she awkwardly slid around my already settled self, pressing her back to the wall on the other side of me. She was breathing hard and was about to smack me senseless when I again pulled her with me. This time we headed right up the stairs to the end of the hall.

Before she could ask, I lead her to the westernmost door and pushed it open. "A-Anna-"

" _Sshh._ " I held my finger to my lips again. She frowned, but didn't get the chance to reprimand me as I turned back around and continued to pull her up the stairway.

Honestly, the janitors wouldn't have said anything to me about wandering around because we were used to seeing each other on an after school basis, but Elsa was _so_ adamant about it that I sort of _had_ to play along. Besides, I was certain that she'd never broken a rule before. Especially at school.

Opening the last door, I let her through first and then pulled the handy cement block over to put in front of the door so it wouldn't close after we went out. Once that was settled, I came up beside a slightly breathless Elsa who was too busy gazing out across the horizon. I leaned my arms on the rails, glancing at her first before tearing my eyes away so I could look in the same direction she was. The sunset was gorgeous as always.

Just not as breathtaking as the girl standing next to me.

There was silence as we both got lost in our thoughts. Mine: filled with nothing but Elsa Mariani. Hers: who knew? I may have had a major thing for her, but even _I_ wasn't a mind reader. I didn't care though because if she _were_ predictable, there would be no point at all. Finding out something new about her everyday was what made it worth going through that thing called school.

"My parents are getting a divorce."

Her sudden gentle voice caught me off guard and I found myself frowning at her in question. I'd been so lost in thought that her quiet words didn't register fully. "What?" I asked, finally seeing the way her shoulders slumped sadly. Sweet Odin there were even traces of tears peeking out of the corner of her beautiful eyes!

My heart instantly split in two when she brought those hurt eyes to mine.

"I can't help thinking: _is it my fault they're splitting up?_ What didn't I do right? Why?" She exhaled shakily before looking out over the golden sunset with such a heaviness that I felt like some of the weight from her shoulders fell on to mine. I didn't like that. "Am I- c-could have I-"

"Stop it." I stated gently, making her gulp down her unfinished questions. "None of this is on you."

"I guess love doesn't last forever, huh?" She let out a bitter chuckle and then leaned her forehead on her arms. My stomach dropped too. "They've been at it for awhile."

 _That's what that was_. All that pretending to be fine, acting like everything is perfect. _Oh Elsa._ I thought sadly as I took a hesitant step toward her. Hearing her sigh had my hand automatically reaching out to comfort her, yet I froze when she sniffled. I retracted my hand a bit as her head came back up to stare straight ahead. "I-I just never thought I'd be a messenger between visits."

"Hey, now." I said gently, this time actually reaching out to touch her shoulder, glad she didn't shy away like I thought she would. But I refrained from saying more because I didn't know what to say. _It'll be okay?_ No, nothing seemed that easy and saying it would only twist the knife. _It's not your fault?_ It wasn't, but I'd already said that and she hadn't reacted.

"Why, Anna?" Elsa asked, this time she looked at me like I had all the answers. I gave her a sad smile and shook my head. She didn't know that I'd lost my mother. Didn't understand that my silence was a form of strength to her. What words could I say to soothe such deep wounds? No. I was there. Right beside her with no judgment whatsoever. Only love. "What should I do?" Her hands suddenly dripped the bars so tight they blanched. "I'm tired, Anna." she whimpered dejectedly through her teeth. "I-I'm so tired."

"So let it go." I answered, watching her stiffen. " _Some of us think holding on makes us strong..._ " my hand touched her shaky one before sliding up to her tense shoulders. " _but sometimes it's letting go._ " I pulled her to me then, wrapping my arms protectively around her. "Sometimes you have to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve, Elsa." I whispered into her warm neck, feeling her shivering slightly. "And you definitely don't deserve to be like this. Sure you've been scarred, but those scars are probably the most beautiful thing in this odd, ironic world." _I would know._ My dad was a prime example. "They let us know you're not only a fighter-" her hands suddenly came up to grip at my sides. "You're a survivor and you're hella stronger than what tried to hurt you."

She broke then.

Burying her face in my own neck, she cried for all she was worth. I held on tightly and whispered sweet nothings to her all the while with my own silent tears falling. Oh yes. Elsa Mariani was a human. I always knew that, but seeing her like this had me filled to the brim with warmth. Warmth I could only hope she felt. She was so much more beautiful to me now.

 _None of your scars can make me love you less._

* * *

 _A/N: This went a different way than I thought...but a big shout out to all who've gone through that!_

 _Stay awesome and thank you for reading and such._

 _Tootles~_


	11. The Three Blind Mice plus Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"I- uh- Y-you know I really don't think you're a Barbie right?" I asked shyly as Elsa and I calmly walked back down the stairs from the roof. She hadn't said much since she eased the waterworks down and I feared she would more than likely shut me out right after. I mean, who wouldn't after letting all of that out? I knew, for a fact, that after my mother died I avoided everyone like the plague even though it wasn't good for me.

Knowing the student council president like I tried to think I did, she wouldn't want to bring the rooftop scene back up unless she was comfortable enough to do so. I didn't blame her. Couldn't. And I wouldn't pretend that I knew what she was going through because the last thing I wanted to do was assume and be completely off point. If anything, she would inadvertently tell me without saying it out loud.

But luckily, she didn't run off and instead responded with an understanding nod. I also wanted to steer clear of the topic for her sake because, if I'd managed to help her out any, I didn't want to reopen some those wounds.

Once the entrance to the stairway closed, we continued languidly through the halls while I thought on other things. Like a certain song that suddenly popped into my head.

 _'I found myself dreaming in silver and gold. Like a scene from a movie that every broken heart knows. We were walking on moonlight and you pulled me close. Split second and you disappeared and then I was all alone...'_

The melody was sweet and warm enough to make an inward smile captivate me.

 _'I woke up in tears with you by my side. A breath of relief and I realized: no, we're not promised tomorrow.'_

I fought the urge to really belt it out and sway along, but I managed to quietly murmur it while we rounded a corner. I wasn't even sure if we were headed back to the boardroom or if we were just taking a walk now and I didn't particularly care.

 _'So I'm gonna love you. Like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye wherever we're standing. I won't take you for granted 'cause we'll never know when we'll run out of time. So I'm gonna love you. Like I'm gonna lose you...'_

"I'm sorry." Elsa suddenly broke through the not so silent silence, though her eyes still had yet to really look at me. She sighed softly and while her fingers fiddled nervously, she continued to try to explain herself, "That...I didn't mean for you to get all of that- I was just-"

"Hurt?" I suggested, resisting the urge to touch her shoulder again. Or anywhere else for that matter. Instead, I folded my hands behind my back and let my voice gently echo through the empty corridor. "That's okay, Miss Mariani. Someone once said that crying is the only way your eyes speak when your mouth can't explain how things made your heart broken."

Elsa stopped so suddenly that I didn't take notice until I was a few feet ahead of her. Looking back at the way she stood frozen on the spot, made me gulp awkwardly. _Was that the wrong thing to say?_ Before I could ask if she really was okay, she took me by surprise and let out a strangled giggle and ultimately confused me. "Wh-"

"Could you stop doing that?" A light sniffle was heard next as she wiped a new tear from her creamy cheek. My mouth shut and there was a second of fear that jolted through me, making me think that I'd said something hurtful. But in the next second, she shook her head and let out another quiet giggle and it was then that I decided not to be so serious lest we part with bad tastes in our mouths. (Not that I was thinking of her mouth.)

"Doing what?" I asked innocently before slowly wandering back to her side since she didn't seem to be going anywhere soon.

"You _know_ what." Elsa quickly glanced away when I caught those electric blues and gave her a small smile.

"Um, no. No, I don't think I do." I hummed lazily and then dug my hands into my pockets so I wouldn't resort to teasing her with them.

"Well..." Her full lower lip disappeared slightly between her pearly whites as she thought about how to say what she wanted. "You're supposed to be the tr- _I'm_ the one that's supposed to be helping you." Her eyes managed to stay away from mine, but that didn't stop me from feeling a mixture of butterflies and bricks swimming around in my stomach at the sight of her slightly timid posture. It was an odd feeling. Like the thrill and chill of doing your first skydiving lesson.

"Wait. What does one thing have to do with the other?" I asked in confusion. I may have gotten her hidden meaning before, but now her words got stuck somewhere between my ears and brain.

That time she brought her alluring eyes to mine and held them firmly. "What sort of troublemaker cares about the well being of others?"

 _Oh. Oh yeah. Troublemaker._ That was supposed to be me. "I don't _care_ about others." I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest indignantly. _You, maybe._ "I'm just like everyone else trying to survive this dumb thing called 'high school.'"

"Well, yes." Elsa brought a thoughtful finger up to her chin. "Having mostly C's and D's _could_ count for being du-"

"That's not how I meant to say that and you know it!" I threw my hands up in exasperation and began to walk ahead of her. Elsa's small delightful giggle was the last I heard when a foamy Nerf ball suddenly hit the side of my head. "HEY, WHAT GIVES?!" I snarled dangerously and whirled on my heel to see Kida and Olaf running right for me. _Uh?_

"Anna, MOVE!" Kida immediately shoved me out of the way as she snatched up the ball and sprinted away. In the frenzy, she managed to make me slam back into a very surprised student council president. Elsa let out a yelp and started to fall backwards, but with superhuman speed, she managed to snag my wrist. My eyes widened and I felt like a cartoon that had disappeared off screen so fast that my outline was still there after giving a confused look to the camera as we immediately landed in a heap on the floor.

"Nedakh, what did I say about taking the game inside?!" Olaf complained with Kristoff right on his heels in the main hallway.

"Kida, get out of there! Anna's gonna strangle you if she sees you this time!" The mountain of a friend bellowed right after.

The thunderous sounds of running feet dimmed somewhere behind me, but I was too distracted by my heart already being in my throat to say anything to them. Mainly because, beneath me, Elsa Mariani was perfectly squashed. My forearms were nestled on either side of her rib cage and I found that my leg was awkwardly resting between her thighs. I froze, not knowing what to do in that instant.

Elsa groaned in pain before she opened her pretty blue eyes. It was then that I fully register how close we actually were. Our noses were almost within touching distance. Mere centimeters. I should have cared about being in that proximity, but I didn't. Not one bit.

I was too lost in the fetching cerulean pools that had easily grabbed my attention. _Always_ grabbed my attention _._ Her warmth. My eyes flicked down to see her perfectly moisturized plump, pink lips and I absently licked my own dry lips. _They look so soft..._ So nice and incredibly kissable right then.

That was when I surprised myself by automatically leaning in, being tugged by an unseen magnet somewhere in her. The urge to kiss the student council president seemed to be driving my every move. Soon enough, our lips were just a hair's length apart. So close that I could feel her warm, humid, sweet-smelling breath tickling my lips. Glancing back up, I found my eyes once again captured by icy blue irises.

She was giving me this look.

A strange one I couldn't decipher, and _man_ did it do unintelligible things to me. _Is it just me or is it hot in here?_ No. _This_ predicament was quite an arousing one.

So much so that I suddenly snapped out of my trance and bolted upright. _Whoa, what the- what am I doing?!_ With wide eyes I clumsily leaned away from her and ended up on my rear with my face as red and bright as a tomato. "I-I-I- that was- a-are you okay? I've told those three idiots time and time again to play capture the flag football _outside_ and _away_ from the school, but-" I face-palmed in complete embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry." _Almost. I almost kissed her!_

I could only think about how awkward it was going to be and completely missed the way Elsa lightly traced her lips with her fingertips before getting up. "...I need some water." Sweet Freyja, even her voice was tinged with a slew of mixed emotions!

She left me there on the floor with equally jumbled thoughts and tingling lips and I swear I saw the tips of her ears tinted a nice shade of red as she tried to calmly walk away from me. Again, that song entered my mind as I thought of how amazing she was. How gorgeous she was and I could say that I'd hopelessly fallen in love with her all over again.

 _'I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye wherever we're standing. I won't take you for granted 'cause we'll never know when we'll run out of time so I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you.'_

* * *

At the garage. Two days later.

"Hey pretty lady, what's with that grin? It hasn't left your face all week." Petro asked nosily and leaned under my hoist with me, only to get oil on his face because I unscrewed the drain plug too fast and forgot to put the drain pan in place first. _Whoops._

I didn't need to apologize though, because we all left dirty. I was sure I already had other black marks on my face before oil got on it too. "What grin?" I asked after safely getting out of the way as the thick oil emerged from the drain and teasingly threatened to hit him with the box end wrench in my hand. He twitched away, letting out a hearty chortle when I snorted too. His apology was to take and hold the drain pan for me while the car finished leaking.

"The boy has a point." Olaf was next to poke his head in on the other side of me. I cut my eyes back to him. _When'd he get here?_

"I even caught you humming along to one of your songs too." Kida ended up in front of me, making me take a confused step back. "That's a rarity, but I'd definitely recommend more of it because you have a rather nice voice." Her mischievous bright smile made Olaf and Petro sigh stupidly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, did you cheat and lose your v-card before any of us did?" Kristoff asked from the right of me and I didn't hesitate to jam my elbow harshly into his ribs, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Shut up, Perve! Besides, weren't we all supposed to do it around the same time?" I asked sweetly, making Kida glance at each of us in disgust. Petro almost dropped the pan.

"What kind of messed up friendship do you guys have?" She wrinkled her nose and took a cautious step backwards.

" _We're the strongest team!_ " I pumped my fist and quoted a line from one of my favorite shows at the moment. They got a good laugh out of it before dispersing to wander around like they were allowed to do such a thing. "Hey, what are you weirdos doing here anyway?" I decided to ask since they never came by the shop.

"Visiting our sister weirdo." Olaf turned back around to blind me with an innocent smile.

"No, we decided to visit and give you _youthful_ company since you're always hanging around these dirty old-"

"Hey!" Petro defended himself before Kida could finish her reason. She shrugged with a grin, making him snort skeptically.

"They're nice men!" I defended too. "You're lucky Danny hasn't caught you snooping around. Being annoying."

"Ouch!" Kida put both of her hands on her chest in mock hurt.

"Actually, Danny _is_ the one that invited us to stop by." Kristoff finally spoke up after watching Petro reinstall the plug. Moving around to the front, he then popped the hood while I went to get another wrench and oil filter.

"Oh? Then what's the occasion?" I asked blankly, going back to unscrew the old oil filter so I could replace it.

"...Your birthday of course!" They all shouted exasperatedly.

I froze. "What?" I had to do a mental replay of my life until that point. _Wow. So it is._

"Are you serious?" Kida stopped my hands and forced me to look at her. "Even _I_ know when your birthday is and you don't remember?!" I felt stupid.

"We just told you, like, two seconds ago." Kristoff snickered, making her glare at him.

"Yeah, Anna has a tendency to forget such matters sometimes." Olaf commented thoughtfully.

"I'm _right_ here, you-" I began to snarl.

"Delivery to a Miss Anna Crescent?" Another voice cut through mine, causing us all to turn and see a random guy holding a stack of pizza in his hands.

"Yes. She's _right here._ " Kida imitated my annoyed voice to a T as she patted my shoulder. Off to the side, I heard the other three giggling like idiots. I felt my face begin to heat up when the guy suddenly grinned at me.

"Y-you aren't going to sing to me are you?" I blurted nervously.

"Do you want me to?" He asked with an unnecessary wink, making my blush darken involuntarily. On the other hand, Kida and the others had to cover their mouths to keep from exploding with laughter. _They are going to get it!_

"Hey, you little rascal!" Boomed a familiar voice that made the guy stiffen. "Leave Black Bear Auto's only girl alone before I pop you one." Danny appeared behind me with a warm smile on his scruffy grace.

"Sure Mr. Walker. Anna." He gave me one last smile before going to set the boxes down on one of the tables in the corner.

"Delivery boy must have a thing for dirty girls...you _know_ what I meant." Olaf spoke first and then scuttled off before I could smack him silly.

"You _are_ pretty fetching right now." Kida nodded in agreement with herself.

"What with you half naked, your sun tanned skin and white tank top all sweaty and covered in oil and grease and-"

"That's it! I am officially going to murder _all_ of you!" I declared, making Kristoff stop so he could chuckle and take two wary steps back. Olaf and Petro were already hiding behind a very amused Danny who was watching the whole thing. Actually, _everyone_ was.

"I tremble with fear!" Kida raised her fists in a pathetically hysterical way and awkwardly bobbed on her toes. "Why don't you put that wrench down and we'll settle this like women?" She playfully swiped at me, making me turn away so I could _try_ to hide the smile that twitched on my face. I was already inwardly laughing.

"G-get lost." I cleared my throat.

"I know you wanna laugh." Kristoff cooed.

"Don't be afraid of real emotion. Let it out." Olaf said in his theatrical accented voice.

I had to practically chew through my lip to keep from doing just that.

"She's smiling." Kida stepped forward and boldly poked my side, making me jerk away.

"Stop it." I bared my teeth at them.

"Laugh, or so help me I will force it out of you." Kida fixed her stance and twiddled her fingers in preparation.

"You wouldn't dare." It was my turn to take a step back.

"Dare, dare!" Petro raised his hand.

I let out a short squeak when Kida actually lunged at me. "Cut it out!" I couldn't stop the nervous smile from forming on my face.

"Cut what out? More of your shirt? You'll give that guy a bloody nose." Kida jabbed her thumb behind her to Petro, who flushed a bit.

"That's not what I-" I started to frown but instantly danced away when she reached for me again. "Kida, I swear-" an odd noise escaped me just as one of her stealthy hands managed to take a chunk of my side, firmly squeezing it.

"It is not nice to swear Anna Crescent." She grinned maliciously with fierce determination in her sky blue eyes.

"Wait. N-now, now Kida, you don't have to- _ahh!_ " I unfortunately backed into Kristoff's big frame and his hands clamped firmly around my shoulders while stupid Kida wasted no time in tickling the life out of me. "S-s-s- _stahp!_ " I managed to force through.

"It's tickling time or seventeen spankings!" Kida declared valiantly.

"A-are you saying you just wanna t-touch me i-inappropriately?!" I gasped and frantically tried to swat her hands away as I continued to laugh. _Ugh, this torture!_

"Who _wouldn't_ wanna touch you like that?" Kida joked, not slowing down any.

"PETRO DO SOMETHING!" I wheezed.

"I am but an innocent bystander!" He lamented unhelpfully.

"I'll help!" Olaf jumped out from behind a doubled over Danny and rushed to me. Only to begin fluttering his stupid fingers at the base of either side of my neck. An embarrassing snort erupted from me then, making Kristoff let go of my shoulders so he could fall over in laughter too.

We all collapsed to the floor in a heap with sore stomachs and red faces for the next few minutes. Only when I calmed some did I yell, "KIDA!"

"Uh-oh." Blue eyes widened in fear as I scrambled to my feet. She let out a choked giggle before following my lead, though when she was in a crouched position, she bolted like she was running the thirty-meter dash. It took me half a second to snap out of it and then I took off after her.

She stopped once she was on the other side of another car and I. "Let's be reasonable about this!" When I dashed to the hood, she quickly retreated to the trunk and when I skirted around, she ended up safely on the other side of me. I wasn't fooling around. That time I didn't hesitate to throw the door open and practically flew through the car with superhuman speed, taking her off-guard in the process. Kida screamed and tried to run for it just as I reached for her foot, making her tumble to the floor with me already settled on her stomach before she even knew what was happening.

"Any last words, Nedakh?" I grinned wickedly.

"Um-" She quickly looked around, only to smile just as crazy as I. "You wouldn't dare."

"You sure about that?" I purposefully placed a single finger to her side, making her confidence falter and her body twitch. "It's payback time for embarrassing me." I whispered, forcing my finger into her side. A slight squeal left her, but when she tried to swat my hands away, I deftly grabbed both her hands and forced them to stay put.

"H-have mercy!" She squeaked.

"Never." My fingers spread and just about squeezed when a single accented voice made my entire being freeze over.

"Excuse me?"

 _...no. No way._ Hesitantly bringing my eyes up and over to the entrance, I felt myself grow a thousand times more embarrassed when curious cerulean orbs met mine.

"Anna?"

"Elsa?" We both stated each others' name simultaneously in surprise.

"Kida." Kida announced and couldn't stop the laugh from bubbling over once again.

* * *

 _A/N: *cheesy grin* After spending much needed time with family, I figured a chapter like this would be fun. (Ever wonder why my characters tease and get along so well?) Anyway, Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all!_

 _Stay awesome and thank you for reading. Also for faves/reviews/follows ^^_

 _Tootles~_


	12. Dancing Oil

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _Wait...that's why Kida-_ My eyes bugged as a light blush captured my cheeks. _She knew Elsa was there!_ "Uh...H-hey." I choked out and then scrambled to my feet so quickly I felt a little dizzy once I stood to my full height. Elsa looked bewildered and so unsure, but stayed right where she was. That lead me to wonder what she was here for. Not for me, that's for sure. I knew for a fact that nobody but my three idiot friends had any idea I even had a job (a steady one) and where it was located. _Well...she does have a car you know. A car that probably needs work?_ I inwardly rolled my eyes. _I knew that!_

Behind me I heard Kida instantly get up too and then felt her lean in to whisper, "Go get her, Champ." My eyes widened again, but when I turned around, the little minx was already walking back to the others. _What?_ There was a moment of confusion as I thought about what she really meant. _Does she know?_ "Since I didn't say so earlier: Happy Birthday buddy. It's an honor to be your _annoying_ friend." Kida called over her shoulder, making me forget about what she did or didn't know and scoff haughtily.

"Yeah. There had better be some pizza left when I get there!" I pointed an accusing finger at her when she turned back around to stick her tongue out at me. Right after she mouthed the words: _no promises_ before glancing pointedly at Elsa and then smirking at me with a wink.

I frowned at her retreating backside, but had no time to begin to wonder again because my attention was immediately pulled back to the newcomer."I didn't know today was your birthday." Elsa spoke up after Kida disappeared around the corner. "I also didn't know you worked." A short pause. " _Here_ , I meant. I didn't know you worked here." She cleared her throat when I gave her a small grin. Which faded somewhat when I finally took in Elsa's full attire.

It was the first I'd ever seen her without her pristine school uniform. (Not that that wasn't a sight to behold either.) Elsa's beautiful platinum blonde hair was tied up in a simple ponytail. For some reason it made her eyes even brighter and less defensive, and her face...it was breath-taking. She somehow managed to make it look like there should be a load of paparazzi following her everywhere. _Oh wait. She did have fan girls!_ I inwardly snorted at that thought.

In place of her usual plaid skirt, she was wearing simple dark hip-hugging jeans that looked much like a second skin complete with a light blue shirt. _I never knew a pair of jeans could look so good._ A closer look at said shirt let me see that the elegant white and black swirls around the entire right side were indeed mermaids and on the left corner, just above her breast, was something written. But I wasn't willing to go closer to find out. Who knows what sort of reaction that would invoke from both of us. If I thought her uniform looked good...I sure was not prepared to see her in civilian clothes. _Mercy._

Once I figured I'd been staring enough to gain creeper status, I coughed awkwardly and then brought my hand up to scratch the back of my suddenly flushed neck. _What was she saying now?_ "A job? Yes!" I swept my hands around the garage like a dork. "Welcome to Black Bear Auto. What can I do you for- I-I mean what can I do for you?" I've never wanted to kick myself so much before.

"Are you required to say that?" Elsa asked after giving me a slightly confused look.

"No." My shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm just a little nervous is all." And I was! I felt like my palms could support a couple of boats on them. _And she had to see me on top of Kida like that!_ My embarrassment level went right back up there somewhere and I had to wonder when I would be going back to my usual self. I mean, the very least my body could do would be to calm down so I didn't turn into a bigger idiot. _Not a chance._

"Why are you nervous?"

My interest suddenly focused on the floor below. "Because-" I tried to begin. _Yeah._ Why was I nervous? I spoke to her normally the last two days (if you consider my knees buckling every time I saw her, the cursed spluttering of my mouth, my heart ready to explode out of my chest with a mere giggle from her because of my utter clumsiness, tripping over nothing in particular and staring like an idiot all the time, _Normal.) Pfft!_ If anything, Elsa was even more potent to me now than ever and I feared that she'd only become my total kryptonite if she kept things like this up. As if she already wasn't. "I'm revealing a secret side of me to you?" I had to fight the urge to face-palm at that sorry excuse for an explanation. _Sheesh!_

"You say that like _I_ didn't already beat you to it." Elsa's honey-coated voice warmed me to my core and I didn't stop myself from sauntering closer to her.

"Alright, that was lame, I know. But I don't have a better answer." I shrugged sheepishly. _Unless I say that You make me nervous._ When she didn't say anything more, I took a deep breath, "So what brings you by?"

"I need an oil change." She answered simply. I hadn't noticed that she was staring at me until I looked from where her car was parked to her. Once I caught her in the act, she instantly darted her eyes away and then turned so I could follow her. And like a love sick pup, I did.

Not only was Elsa completely gorgeous, she was also an amazing human being and incredibly strong willed. It seemed like everything she did was for others. Completely selfless. Which was insane because she had to be one of the busiest people I'd ever known. Miss Mariani got straight A's, she was the student body president, I was sure she was already taking college classes, she was planning the carnival, helping _my_ idiot self...all while her parents were going through a divorce.

I felt like such a failure compared to her.

"Are you okay?" Elsa pulled me out of my thoughts and I blankly brought my eyes to concerned icy blues.

She was halfway into her car when I finally drew all the way away from my reverie. "I'm fine." I gave her a wide grin, "go ahead and pull up to the empty hoist right there."

As she moved her car forward, I forced all of those thoughts to the cabinets of my mind and locked them. _No need to get depressed around her._ I couldn't be her and she couldn't be me. We had our own lives to live, our own plans for the future and the only thing we had in common was here and now. This moment and whatever moment we shared after.

"Want some pizza?" I asked when Elsa got back out of the driver's seat. "I gotta wait until your engine cools down or I'll really burn my hands this time." I let out a light chuckle at the remembrance and was about to lead the way to the pizza table.

"Aren't you wondering why I'm here?" She asked next, making me stop and glance at her as she crossed her arms. I licked my dry lips before playing with the sleeves of my jumpsuit.

"It crossed my mind, yes." I nodded. "I mean, isn't your dad a mechanic?" That time I actually face-palmed. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...bring him up?" _New level of creeper status achieved!_ Thinking back, I knew she hadn't mentioned anything about her parents or what they did for a living, so me randomly bringing it up now _had_ to be suspicious for her. School rumors and gossip aside, I wouldn't be surprised if she went on to think that I stalked her of my own accord.

Instead of getting mad at me, Elsa tried to ease my nervousness, "He never taught me. Actually, he's always been too busy to do it." But I only felt more stupid. _There you are, helping me again._

"Well, say no more. I'll personally see to it that you get your oil changed and I'll even do a secret diagnostic for you. Free of charge." I winked and then gestured for her to follow me, but before she could start walking, I stopped to admit, "I'm allergic to cats."

She frowned at me. "What?"

"My favorite animal is a red panda, I can't cook to save my life, I'm afraid of heights and..." I took a deep breath and then looked away, "And my mother died two years ago." Elsa let out a short gasp and brought her hand up to her mouth while her eyes widened in shock. "I-I just figured that I'd tell you something about me since I know a little bit about you." _Also why I won't have to explain later why seeing you scarred and vulnerable is the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on._ And to hopefully let her know she wasn't alone in her pain.

But I wasn't expecting her to place her hand on my shoulder.

I was taken so off guard that when I snapped my head to look at her, I felt my neck pop in two different places. Her eyes held a particular hurt look that had me frantically searching for an explanation. _Screw all that other junk about having her figure it out without words!_ "That- no, I wasn't looking for sym- I didn't tell you about my mom because I wanted you to feel sorry for me." I gently placed my hand over hers, giving her a reassuring smile while I was at it.

"Anna, this isn't something that should be taken so lightly." She squeezed my shoulder pointedly. I let out a resigned sigh before crossing my arms.

"Okay." I whispered. "Just don't try to hug me, I'm filthy right now." That was enough to make her giggle.

When our eyes met again, neither of us seemed to want to look away. I knew _I_ didn't. I was already so deeply lost in those cerulean orbs that I had to wonder if I was still going to be the same when I came out on the other side. _Would you be waiting for me?_ Her hand moved the tiniest bit to the right, closer to my neck and I felt my stomach burst into a zillion butterflies. Time slowed. Noises faded. It was only us. It was strange to think that I could see her seeing me without any barriers and it could have been pretty awkward, but I felt nothing of the sort. The only thing that would ever be awkward around us was me and I was fine with that.

 _Wait._

My breath suddenly hitched. _Is it me, or is she leaning in?!_ Our eyes were so focused in each other that I didn't get to see her lips slightly parting. Only when those arctic colored eyes began to flutter closed, did I feel a jolt of electricity pass through me. _D-does this mean what I think it means? Am I about- is she gonna kiss me?_ My heart threatened to burst out of my chest as my eyes lowered to her delicious looking lips. Now I saw her inviting lips glistening in the late afternoon sun. _How...how did this happen?_ My brain fizzled out and instincts took over as I ended up contributing to closing the gap between us.

"Feisty-Pants! If you don't get some pizza right about now, Petro's going to eat it all!" Kristoff's thunderous voice suddenly made me pause my advance.

"Hey that's _my_ nickname for her!" Kida added next.

They weren't anywhere near us, but that didn't stop us from jumping away from each other in complete embarrassment. I felt my face heat up once more as I unconsciously tightened the sleeves around my waist. _What the heck?! Was she really going to kiss me?_ It could have been the start of a hug. _Why would she wanna kiss me?_ I forgot how dirty my clothes were and didn't stop the indignant snort from leaving me. _In your dreams, Crescent!_

"R-right. So how's about that pizza?" I suggested while trying to hold in a hysterical chuckle at my ridiculous self. _She said herself that I'm a troublemaker._ So, why would she want to be intimate with someone so opposite of her? _I really need to get my head out of the clouds._

"Sure." Elsa stated blankly and followed me without another word.

* * *

Elsa and I had walked right into a dance party of sorts, thanks to a pair of mysterious speakers that had been set up with _my_ iPod hooked into the jack. I didn't care about that since the guys seemed to be enjoying themselves for once. Even Danny was laughing heartily with Marko and Giovanni.

"Go Olaf, go Olaf!" We cheered the adorable snowman on while he did some form of break dance that actually looked a little painful and once he was done, he jumped up and pointed at me. That was a challenge. A smirk spread across my face as I accepted it.

"Go, Anna!" He began a new chant, making me toss my half eaten pizza over my shoulder before running and sliding into the center of the floor on my knees. I fluidly sprang back up and started out with the _Dougie,_ then switched to the _C-walk_ , and then managed a back flip with the aid of my hands. As I moon-walked back out, Kristoff and Petro laughed their heads off while the others cheered wildly.

"My turn!" Kida patted my shoulder and then teasingly placed me right next to a still surprised Elsa before doing a double spin into the center. She fell back and then instantly popped back up like a martial artist. We all whooped when she did the _Guido two-step_ and once she finished with a _K-kick_ , she pumped her fists in triumph.

Since the song wasn't completely finished, I playfully moved my hips to the beat until the rest of my body woke up. I flashed Elsa and Kida a lopsided grin before doing a cartwheel that ended with me landing on my back. I did a complete crunch and then borrowed Kida's martial art move in order to get back up on my feet where I ended with doing _The Pretty Girl Rock._ I threw my hands up and brought them down to point my fingers at Kristoff, inviting him to either join me or do his own moves.

"Show off! How am I supposed to compete with that?" He lamented dramatically, but didn't stop from stepping in front of me as smoothly as his feet would allow.

Just then, the song ended and switched to a more slow beat. A sexy one, in my opinion. It made Kristoff's face flush slightly and when he still bravely reached for me I snorted, covering my mouth so I wouldn't lose it. Yet. Instead of pushing him away, I shimmied closer. There was another sudden presence behind me that moved the same way I did and we instinctively moved together like a snake. "Anna Sandwich!" Olaf called from behind me, making me finally break out in a gut busting laughter.

Kristoff spluttered along with Petro, but was quickly disposed of by an equally hysterical Kida who shoved him away to take his place in front of me. Like the three of us knew what we were doing, we placed our hands on each others' hips before spreading further apart so we could go lower and then lower still. Olaf whimpered when he couldn't go down anymore and ended up collapsing on the floor with a loud grunt while the rest of the guys roared with laughter at the ridiculous display we were putting on. Kida and I stopped too and sprawled out on either side of him.

"That was so stupid!" I clutched my poor stomach and turned on my side to see Elsa covering her mouth with both of her hands. Our eyes met again in glee. She was laughing. A warm feeling spread all over me when I thought about it. She was usually quiet and wholly reserved, but seeing her like that made me feel more accomplished than passing Kwalski's test last week.

Then I remembered her car.

"Hey, where are you going?" Olaf whined and held on to my leg like a child when I got back up.

"Elsa's got to get home sometime." I answered and then leaned down to pinch his side, making him jerk away from me. Once he let go, I hurdled over Kida too so I could grab Elsa's wrist. She barely had time to react when I quickly tugged her away and practically skipped back to her awaiting beetle. "Don't worry. I'm such an expert, you'll be out of here in twenty minutes tops." I reached in to turn the ignition so the engine could warm up and then set the parking break.

I managed to hear Elsa let out a quiet, yet, disbelieving snort as she settled on the floor just outside of the hoist. Before I could begin, I paused to look at her after turning the car back off. "Wanna learn?"

Blue eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

I grinned before motioning her over with my pointer. "Come here."

"Anna-" She tried to wave me off without further explanation and I didn't miss the light coloring of her cheeks at my actions.

"Barbie." I chuckled. "Afraid to get those pretty hands of yours dirty?" Drawled my voice playfully. I wasn't even sorry about that when she glared icy daggers at me, because she reached back to tighten her ponytail before getting up so she could join me.

"Fine." Elsa huffed, standing with her hands on her mouth-watering hips.

I cleared my throat professionally. "Okay, first off, you don't want to use the factory-supplied jack all vehicles have because it's only made for changing tires. The best ones to use are drive-on ramps or jack stands." A pause. "Or you can keep coming here, I just wanted you to see the process."

Elsa nodded in understanding with her eyes focused. So much so that I wanted to poke her cheek. I didn't. Instead, I pulled the box-end wrench from my back pocket. "This one is called a box-head wrench and it works much better than an adjustable wrench because it won't slip or ruin the plug head." I informed and then pointed to the drain plug. "As almost always: it's righty-tighty and lefty-loosy when you're unscrewing the plug." Gesturing to the pan by Elsa's feet, I asked her to bring it over so she could hold it for me. "Once it's out, you make sure you hold onto the plug so it doesn't fall into the pan." I removed said piece and waited while the oil drained out.

"So is there something you _can't_ do?" Elsa asked just before I left her to get an oil filter.

"Um.." I hummed in thought while getting the correct one.

"Seriously, you dance, fix vehicles, and sing." Her sweet, lightly accented voice swirled around me like an intoxicating aroma.

"That's about it." I shrugged, feeling my neck warm a bit, considering she'd called me out on my embarrassing one-woman concerts I usually thought nobody saw. "Wait. I can't go to school without getting in trouble." I grinned stupidly at her, which she shook her head at and instead turned to watch the last of the oil drain out.

"That's not funny."

"Sorry." I breathed. "Alright, for the oil filter, you can use an oil filter wrench." I pulled another one from my pocket.

"Wait, so you were dancing with those in your pockets?" Elsa tried and failed to hide a short giggle.

"You mean you didn't hear them bang against the floor?" I asked with an even bigger smile. "I didn't have time to stand there taking forever to empty these endless pockets when Olaf was challenging me." Another giggle was heard as she turned to set the drain pan down and it made me feel giddy all over again. It was such a roller coaster ride of emotions with Elsa Mariani. And I had an all day pass.

"Make sure you have room to move the tool around in and this time, you go counter clockwise to loosen it." My hands moved almost instinctively as I spoke. "When it is loose, you can use this rag-" I surprised her by taking one out of my other back pocket and holding it out to her. "To unscrew it by hand." When she did, I quickly wrapped my hands around hers to shield them from the residual oil that leaked out of it. "Ah- I forgot to warn you about that part." Clearing my throat sheepishly, I reached my foot over to bring the pan back. Without thinking I turned both of our hands over and poured the last of the oil into the pan.

"H-how long have you been working here?" Elsa's small voice made me inwardly choke as I quickly released her hand and took the rag from her.

"A few weeks ago. Maybe two months?" I honestly hadn't been keeping track, but as they all said: I was a natural when it came to fixing vehicles. (Having a photographic memory helped at times too.) "So you want to wipe away any old oil or dirt from the filter mounting surface so the new filter will seal properly." She leaned closer after dusting her hands, luckily having not gotten any of the black smudge on them. "Also remember to make sure the old oil filter ring gasket hasn't stuck to the engine." I finished cleaning around it and smirked at her. "Got it so far?"

"Nope."

"Great." I joked before playfully nudging her shoulder with mine. "You're doing good, Miss Mariani. Only two more steps."

"You _can_ call me Elsa, you know?" She stated semi-shyly, making me bite into my inner cheek.

"I know. I just like your last name is all." I blurted embarrassingly. My cheeks heated instantly and I practically jogged away to get lube for the gasket. _You were doing so good!_ Clearing my throat, I forced the blush back down and returned to finish what we started. Of course when I got there, Elsa's cheeks were a bit flushed too. Just the sight alone made me want to faint. _Breathe, Anna. It's okay._ "A-anyway, if you add some fresh oil on the gasket, it'll help the new filter seal properly. So start by-"

"Can I?" Elsa asked, taking another step closer despite her cutely blushing self.

"Yeah, sure." I cleared my throat again and let her take the filter out of the box so I could get the correct oil for her car. "Smear a few drops on the ring gasket." I said while pointing to the appropriate area. She nodded and once that was done, I took a step back to get out of her way. "Go ahead and spin it back in until the gasket seats against the engine. Then turn the filter-"

"And what if your hand doesn't fit?" Her voice held a sheepish tone.

"Then you're not trying." I grinned and then stepped forward. "You won't break the engine- well, maybe you'll break your pretty nails, but-" I snorted out a laugh when Elsa let go of the filter in order to smack my arm in annoyance. "Okay, I'm sorry! Look, you got oil on me." I complained like I wasn't covered in the stuff already.

"Oh, _boo-hoo_." She cooed with an eye roll, making me glance at her mischievously.

"'Boo-hoo' indeed." I growled and swiped my thumb across the tip of her cute nose, making her gasp and twitch away from me before wiping furiously at the smudge that only seemed to be getting bigger the harder she tried to get it off.

Apparently, she noticed too. "Anna!"

"Elsa!" I mocked dramatically.

She took me by surprise when she snagged my wrist and bent my arm in order to help smear my own hand against my face. _Oh-hoh!_ I laughed out loud and let her have at it for the moment. Next, I jumped backwards, blowing my bangs out of my face and then crouched my body slightly. Ready to pounce. "It looks like you need a hug, _Miss Mariani_." My face instantly coveted an evil grin when her icy blues widened in both amusement and fear.

"No." She began to back away.

"Yes." I purred dangerously.

I took my chance right as she glanced down to see what her heel caught and once I managed to wrap my arms tightly around her waist, she screamed. It was actually a beautiful sound that shook me to my core. Especially when it erupted in a melodious laugh as she futily tried to wiggle out of my grasp. "Stop!"

"Never!" I laughed along, but loosened my grasp enough so she could get away. _No need to get her clothes any more dirty._ She bounded away from me with one of the brightest smiles I'd ever seen. It made me want to kiss her _so_ bad right then. _She's stunning!_ I ended up crossing my arms and leaning against her car with the dopiest smile I could muster.

"What?" She asked after a minute of catching her breath. Again, she tried to wipe her nose to no avail.

 _I'm in love with you._ "It's nice to hear you laugh." I said instead with another blush creeping up my cheeks after having that first thought. Her eyes widened once more and when she looked away shyly, she tucked an unseen hair behind her ear while nibbling on her lower lip. my heart melted at the sight, but I figured it was time to stop teasing her. For today. "Alright, so how about we finish getting your baby up and running?" I crooked my finger again and waited for her to rejoin me.

"Can I trust you?" Elsa asked skeptically, still rubbing her nose. That time it came off, but at the expense of an adorable red tip that clashed delightfully with her creamy skin.

"You can trust me." I nodded, half dreamily. "Know why?"

"Why?" She folded her arms over her chest after sniffling.

I smiled sweetly. "No trust, no _us._ "

* * *

 _A/N: Yay over 100 follows! Thank you, thank you! And the reason this chapter is so long is because I had no idea what to do with it and once I did, it grew like I put Miracle Grow on it. Anyway I hope you still liked it!_

 _Tootles~_


	13. Baciami

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Saturday Afternoon.

"I still don't understand what all the hype is about coffee." I commented as I pulled my own cup of Jasmine tea closer to my lips. "I mean, what's wrong with tea?" Taking a sip, I let the amazing taste flood my mouth and felt the hotness flow down my throat where it instantly warmed my stomach. _Does coffee do this for someone?_

"Oh nothing." Kida waved me off before stifling a snicker. "Princess." She and Kristoff were the only ones to get the bitter smelling stuff I always associated with old people. My dad drank it, my mom used to, Esmeralda did, Danny and the guys did. I wasn't sure if Petro did, I don't think Elsa did and now I learned that two of my friends did. _Why?_ I just didn't understand it.

"Well, there _are_ teas out there that have caffeine." Olaf defended me through a mouthful of his second glazed donut. When he just about put it down on the plate, I snatched it back up to take a bite. In turn, he took a piece off of my chocolate chip cookie and greedily ate it.

"Yeah?" Kristoff spoke up after placing his mug down on the table. "And did you know there's such a thing as half coffee and half chocolate?" He asked smugly, knowing I was a sucker for that cavity builder.

"Really?" My brows rose in curiosity.

"I think it's called a Cafè Mocha, or something." Olaf nodded. _Huh. Interesting._ I thought as I looked from one light brown eyes to gray.

"But that still doesn't explain why people like coffee so much." I continued before leaning back and then popped the last piece of cookie into my mouth. "Is it...like, energy?"

"Drink it long enough it'll start to taste good." Another voice joined in on our conversation and we looked up to see our waitress.

"That's what they say about alcohol." I snickered, taking the extra cookie Esmeralda slyly handed to me. (Any more free cookies would result in payment from one of us.) And I really was getting full of them since she'd already given me two extra earlier.

"Had some, have we? I thought you were a good girl." The emerald-eyed woman giggled and then leaned over to tousle my hair playfully.

"Yes, I'm not a good girl." I moved away from her hand and cleared my throat indignantly. "I always have a shot before school. Helps with the stress."

"Seriously?" Olaf's jaw dropped to the table, making Kristoff and Kida share a laugh at his cute, gullible self. Esmeralda tapped the side of my head with her notepad pointedly before straightening back up and putting her working face back on.

"Is there anything else you all need? Refills perhaps?" Her question was more pointed toward Olaf since he got chocolate milk, but we waved her off. "You know, I've never seen such a casual meeting between a group of teens." She brought her finger up to tap her chin. "Sure you're in high school?"

"Should we cause a ruckus and get kicked out?" I asked with a grin before taking a bite out of my free cookie.

"No." She snorted. "Besides, if you did get thrown out, I wouldn't get to see my biker buddy anymore." After writing our check out, she placed it in front of me. "I still owe you a ride by the way."

My eyes widened. "Right!" I brought my hand up to my head to gently smack it. "I've just been so busy trying to get my own bike. That coupled with after-school duties and working for the rest of the week, I don't seem to have anymore time."

" _Wow,_ you sound old!" Kida exclaimed and nudged my shoulder heatedly. "I know you're older than I am, but _wow_. I don't wanna grow up now."

"Hey, a girl like me has to stay busy." I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Unlike you guys, if I have nothing to do, I'll go crazy." And I wasn't two months older than her! _If I make you seem old, what does that make me?_ I resisted the urge to glare at her.

"Playing video games counts as something to do." Kristoff growled at me.

"And _I'm_ starring in the school play next month!" Olaf brought his fist down on the table with a light rap. "The three of you heathens are lucky I've neglected my memorization practice to hang out."

"Pardon us then, my good sir." I said snobbishly and slapped his shoulder.

"Yeah. Take it easy with those big words." Kida grinned before pointing at Kristoff. "You'll confuse the big guy."

"I know what he's talking about!" Kristoff complained, nearly reaching over the table to swipe at the white-haired girl. She leaned away so she could laugh to herself. Even _I_ had to chuckle when he very nearly pouted.

"Never mind. I guess you _are_ teenagers." Esmeralda snorted before patting my shoulder. "Later, you." She then winked at me before turning to attend to another table, lest her boss yell at her again for talking to us.

"She's such a fox!" Kristoff whispered behind his hand once she disappeared back into the kitchen after taking another order from a new table. "Where'd you meet her again?"

"Down big boy." I snickered and then kicked his foot with mine. "She's eight years older than us. Well, _nine_ for you." I pointed out with a smirk, causing him to bare his teeth at me.

"Whatever. I look older than my age." He turned away and then stated dreamily as he stared at the kitchen door, "I could totally date her."

"But, she'll be tossed in jail for robbing the cradle!" Olaf interjected like our wall of a friend was serious. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was though.

"What the cops don't know won't hurt 'em." He grinned impishly at us.

I rolled my eyes and then stated just as deviously. "No. _Detective_ Pheobus will." Waiting for him to look directly, I continued. "He's Esmeralda's fiancé."

Olaf and Kida put their hands to their mouths and uttered an ominous ' _ooo'_ that made Kristoff's face pale just a bit. Satisfied with myself, I relaxed in my seat while finishing off the last of my delicious tea.

When I was done, we paid the bill and then wandered out of _Djali's_ to begin shopping. (Well, _I_ was in the market for a new jacket, _they_ invited themselves along.) Which I didn't mind because they're company was always appreciated. Regardless if they got out of hand from time to time.

"Wait, so you're saying that Esmeralda _doesn't_ have a thing for you?" Kristoff asked once we were about half a block away.

"What?!" I partly shouted in surprise. "No! Why would you think that?" My brows furrowed at the tallest member of our group who only shrugged.

"Guess I missed something." Kristoff mumbled lamely.

"I clearly said she's a whole lot older than us and that she has a fiancé." I pointed out before stopping at a window so I could peer inside. I also had to probably get a thicker jacket since the glorious warm weather was already starting to give way to more chilly days. Now, I liked Autumn just fine because it wasn't too hot or too cold and I could wear a light sweater whenever I wanted, but all the suspense before the actual snowfall bothered me like no other. On the other hand, give me a snow day and I'll be all over that like white on rice.

"Maybe it was the way she was being extra sweet on you that confused him." Olaf thought aloud when we passed the third store. _Ugh! They're not going to drop it are they?_

"What are you on about?" I grumbled before pushing into the next store without looking at what it was. "Not everybody I talk to is interested in me."

"Trust me, honey. If either of them had as much confidence as you, they'd be happily in relationships now." Kida stated almost absentmindedly as she searched through a rack of summer shirts that were on sale. _Not her?_ Before I could ask, Kristoff cut me off.

"What was that quote? Confidence is beauty? Something like that." Said guy held up an ugly colorful animal print to me with a stupid grin.

"I don't have that." I snorted and then pushed by him to see what Olaf was looking at.

"Oh, what about this one?" He held up a yellow jacket, making me frown.

"Why yellow?"

"Because you're always wearing that white one!" He lamented dramatically. "I believe there are other colors...like royal blue and gold? We aren't the polar bears, you know." A snicker came out of his lips as he prodded me to take the sweater.

"We aren't the banana's either." I huffed, but took it anyway. "Isn't there a darker color? I don't want to be walking around like a human highlighter."

"What about this one?" Kida materialized out of thin air with a much more solid colored hoodie. "Just my opinion, but this would look awesome with your blazer on top of it." She added right before Kristoff almost tackled us with his face as red as my hair.

"Why, you-" I snarled, trying to push him off of me.

"Th-that cashier!" He whispered like he'd seen a ghost.

"Which one?" Kida straightened up to look, only to be tugged back down by Kristoff.

"She keeps looking at me." He stated, making a collective groan come from the rest of us.

"So?" I asked and then slapped his hands away so I could stand. He had been so obvious that when I took a curious glance to the counter, the girl gave me a sheepish smile. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

"Are you crazy?" He jumped back up too with an incredulous face.

"No. But _you're_ getting pretty close there." Kida dusted herself off and then curiously looked to the front of the store too. Her eyes widened and she pulled Kristoff around so they weren't facing the unknown girl. "You've gotta say something to her, Bjorgman. She's obviously interested."

Olaf and I couldn't help but glance back at her with knowing smirks on our faces. She was actually kinda pretty. What with her chestnut colored hair, fair skin and honey-colored eyes. Warm an inviting. Which was a whole other level than Alice. Of course I wasn't taking a stab at my blonde friend, but she just wasn't Kristoff's type.

Deep down they both knew they wouldn't work out.

 _Now her, on the other hand._ I turned back to face Kristoff too so I could drawl teasingly. "You'll need a date for prom."

"You do it." Our indirect body builder tried to walk away.

"Aw, don't be such a wus!" Olaf challenged and caught his wrist, pulling him back so he could cup the side of his face while he spoke. Olaf's other hand stuck out like he was presenting the woman behind the counter to the world. "Look at her, she's a peacock ruffling her feathers as she's awaiting you to claim her."

Kida and I frowned at the other two idiots before raising a brow at each other. "It's the _guy_ peacock that has the pretty feathers." Kida corrected.

Olaf didn't miss a beat and instead did the same gesture, "then she's a male lion letting the lioness know he's ready to pounce."

"It's the _female_ that let's him know!" I threw my hands up in exasperation before tugging a snickering Kida along with me. We both ended up laughing all the way to the counter and once we got there, I placed the jacket on the counter.

"Did you find everything okay?" She asked in a gentle voice that would soothe anyone.

"Just fine." I tossed a grin at her. While she rung the price up, I noticed Kris and Olaf slowly approaching the counter. They tried and failed to stealthily weave through the racks of clothes, but before they could make it, Kristoff wigged out and left Olaf there to throw his hands up in a 'what the heck' gesture. I had to chuckle at that, having never seen the big blonde guy so freaked out over a girl before. Thoughts of Esmeralda were nowhere near his mind _now._

"$24.51." The girl pulled my attention back to the counter. I nodded and then handed her the money when her name tag caught my attention.

"Is Sen your full name, or is it short for something else?" I asked without thinking.

"It's short for Sven." She groaned dramatically, handing my change back to me. "My dad wanted a son."

"Harsh." Kida snipped and then placed a candy bar there after I took my bag. "But I like that. Sen. It's different."

They then went on to talk about their names and we successfully left the shop with her number in hand.

* * *

Back at school. The Library.

 _'So many nights I sat here waiting. There were times I couldn't go on. Still my heart was anticipating. It made me strong. Made me hold on...'_

With a single earbud in, I glanced up from the magazine I was skimming through to see a frown line evident on Elsa's forehead as she lightly pouted at the screen infront of her. It was incredibly cute, but my curiosity got the better of me.

"What's the matter?" I asked, turning my body around so I could place my arms on the table between us.

"Nothing." She _tsk'd_ and then leaned back while pushing her silky hair out of her eyes in an annoyed manner. She'd left her gorgeous hair down today. Without her permission, I got up to saunter around to her side. When I leaned down to check it out, she sighed heavily. "It froze."

 _'I'll be there in the night when you need me. Just call my name. I'll be there, close your eyes and you'll see me. Just call my name.'_

"Oh. Yeah, these computers are pretty ancient. But once every decade they're updated and then the music/movie/hormonal junkies ruin it by downloading useless junk and attracting annoying viruses." I explained as I pressed the _ctrl, alt, delete_ keys in order to restart the modem.

"Are you talking about yourself, now?" Elsa inquired with amusement in her pretty voice, making me roll my eyes and scoff indignantly.

"Please." I snorted after clicking the correct button. "The computer didn't freeze on _me_ now, did it?"

"Ha-ha." She drawled sarcastically. I grinned at her while we waited for it to come back to life.

 _'I don't need to know the answers. I don't want to understand. We were born to take the chances. I know the truth when you hold my hand...'_

"What are you always listening to?" She asked after cocking her head somewhat closer to the other earbud that wasn't in my ear and was hanging between us. I automatically grabbed the earbud and held it into her ear, making her twitch, but she didn't move away as I pressed it in.

 _'Now the night don't last forever. Every moment is a song, 'cause we face the night together. Something so right could never be so wrong.'_

While I thought she was distracted with the song, I secretly pressed the 'teacher' icon and not the student's. "Hey, what are you-" She interjected by trying to stop my hands.

"Sssh!" I moved her hand so I could type in Coach's name and password. "Just listen to the song and let me do this."

"The song's over." She hissed and then finally managed to push my hands away just as the desktop set up. "What are you thinking? We can't do this!"

"Too bad." I winked, at her stunned self before pulling a chair over so I could sit beside her. "Because we are."

"Where did you even _get_ that information?" Elsa asked once I pulled up a much quicker version of the internet.

"He's all brawn and no brain. _Jsmoot: 1234567891._ " I chuckled quietly and then gestured for her to take over once again. "Guess his number knowledge ends at nine."

Elsa let out a short snicker before clearing her throat. "That's mean."

"It was." I admitted, watching her bring up two different tabs so she could research one thing and do the carnival work with the other. "But he started it." That time she lowered her head with a snort and small shake of her head.

"You both act like children."

"But _I'm_ the more mature child right?" I asked, but felt my face heat up in record time when the next song began.

 _'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on. You got the healing that I want. Just like they say in the song: Until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on...'_

To my horror, I barely noticed that the other earbud was still in Elsa's ear! _Mature, my butt!_ I nervously chewed my lip and wondered if I should just pull away, or change it.

I had to do something. _Stat!_

 _'We got this king size to ourselves. Don't have to share with no one else. Don't keep your secrets to yourself. It's Kama Sutra show and tell-'_ I frantically yanked it out, making her flick her electric blue eyes to me in question.

"What song was that?" She asked. I didn't notice the light flush on her cheeks until then and once I did, I felt my own face heat up more. _Is she serious?_

"O-oh, you know. One of those probably illegal songs I 'borrowed' from the computers here." I tried to wave her off nonchalantly to no avail. "I haven't even heard it until now." I cleared my throat and almost jumped out of my seat when she gingerly reached over to take the earbud so she could place it back in her ear.

"Liar." She went back to work.

"Am not." I crossed my arms with a slight embarrassed pout on my face.

"Are so."

"Am _not!"_

"Are so, _Marvin Gaye._ " Elsa brought playful blue eyes to mine and held them.

 _'There's loving in your eyes that pulls me closer. (ooh it pulls me closer.) It's so subtle. (It's so subtle.) I'm in trouble. (I'm in trouble.) But I'd rather be in trouble with you.'_

She smelt so nice. Felt so warm. Looked so perfect in the afternoon sunlight that filtered into the library. It was nice, but I felt my inner jester poking at me and I was helpless to stop it.

"There's a mark on your face." I whispered, watching her brow raise as she leaned just a fraction away from me.

"What? Where?" When her hand came up to wipe at her face, I stealthily grabbed one of her highlighters that were scattered across her work space. Without hesitating, I uncapped it and swiped it on the tip of her nose.

"Right there, _Marvin Gaye._ " I grinned devilishly at her and ended up barking out a laugh when she smacked my shoulder.

"Anna!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I couldn't stop laughing. "Here, let me help."

"No." She glared at me. "That's the second time you've wiped something on me."

"Yeah. But, see, I didn't offer to clean it last time." I tried to cough in order to calm myself down and then boldly reached for her nose, expecting her to slap my hand away. She didn't. Instead, she snatched the highlighter from me so she could place a mark on my chin, since I just barely moved away from her aim to my nose. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself." She mocked me before doing something I _never_ thought she'd do before.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

 _Wow!_ "V-very mature, Miss Mariani." I managed to get out before my eyes fell to her newly moisturized lips and only then did I realize the position I'd put us in. We were closer than before since I'd leaned in to clean her nose and she'd leaned in to mark my face too.

For once, I really considered the possibility of kissing those inviting lips. But then, I _had_ to wonder what she was thinking, because we'd already been in this predicament before and I'd already been wondering how she would react if I kissed her since I first saw her. _Oh man._ My eyes dropped to the fullness of her pink lips. _I can't._ I didn't know the reason why, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I tried a different way. "C-can I ask you something?"

Elsa seemed to snap out of it too because she brought her hand up to wipe at her nose once more before nodding at me. "Why did you help me that one day when I was accused of lighting a trashcan on fire?"

She studied me for a few silent moments and then asked, "Why'd you break the window?"

I licked my dry lips before looking away sheepishly. _Like I can tell you the real answer._ "Don't you trust me?" Elsa asked again and then leaned forward to get my attention. That got me and made me flick my eyes back to hers. "I mean, it was _you_ that said: no trust, no us. So let's be honest, yes?" _Odin's mother, that accent!_ Was it just me or was it a little thicker than usual?

"I wanted to meet you in person." I blurted against my will, feeling my face blow up in a humongous blush. _Argh! Curse those hypnotizing eyes of hers!_ I inwardly lamented when a sudden flush captured her cheeks as well.

"Oh." Elsa managed to say after a moment.

"N-not that I'm lumping you in _Kardashian_ fame along with the rest of the school! Actually, they've got you pegged all wrong be-because you aren't what everyone expects-"

"What exactly _did_ you expect, Anna?" She easily overlooked my stumbling mouth, making me gulp awkwardly. Her eyes grew just the _slightest_ more guarded, but she wasn't shutting me out completely.

"Uh," I bit my lip and then nervously scratched the back of my head. "Well...I know that I actually expected you to be different from the prissy, arrogant, untouchable, ice queen everyone thinks you are." I let my eyes fall from hers to my lap. "I mean, you _are_ a human. You _have_ feelings. No matter how hard you try to mask them." Clearing my throat, I stated with little thought, "You're a beautiful girl with gorgeous eyes: a hidden world of hurt and lies."

"You...think I'm beautiful?" She suddenly asked shyly, making me look back at her in surprise.

"O-of course I do." I nodded, but then quickly added, "But I'm not only addressing your outward looks, because that's completely shallow." When her brow rose in question once more, I gave her an equally shy smile. "Like someone once said: _We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the change it has gone through to achieve that beauty._ " My hand came up to scratch the tip of my nose. "Truly beautiful people don't just happen and simpletons who are attracted to you because of your pretty face or nice body won't be by your side forever. But the ones who can see how beautiful your heart is, despite all that you've gone through, won't even let it cross their minds to leave you." _Like me._ I didn't care about popularity because I lived in reality and I was my own person there. Forget looks. I respected personality and Elsa was on a whole other level, but perhaps that was because I was in love with her already. _Oh well._

There was quite a stretch of silence that ended with her letting out a soft chuckle. "...Are you _trying_ to get me flustered?" Elsa's cheeks turned a very attractive shade of pink as she turned away from me.

"Maybe." I let the biggest grin capture my face as I reached out to touch her hand with my heart in my throat. When she glanced down at our hands, and despite all the honesty that we'd surrounded ourselves in, I instantly worried that the touch might have been too brash. I once saw a movie where the couple was having a moment, but the woman pulled back _right_ at the pinnacle and said it was only ' _a moment_!'

The thought was enough to make me almost take my hand back in utter embarrassment, but then Elsa bravely turned my hand over so she could rub her thumb over my knuckles. "Thank you, Anna." She said softly, glancing up to give me a small smile.

"N-not a problem." I stammered around the lump in my throat, feeling my palms begin to sweat when our eyes met again. And just like the shared moments before, everything froze. But it was like neither of us knew what to do or how to respond to all of what had been said and then the very next second, Elsa crossed what little space was between us.

I could have fainted right then and there when she pressed her lips to mine.

* * *

 _A/N: Ahahaha...it's 2am, I'm watching Battleship and I still have my contacts in. But I mean, 'whoo-hoo!' right? Finally!_

 _Side note: Yes Anna is gorgeous too. 'Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.' (She just doesn't know it. Yet.)_

 _Shout out: "Those who are unaware of their looks are more attractive than gorgeous girls who flaunt it." So smile because you use more face muscles to frown than when you smile._

 _Anyway...thanks for reading. Hope you liked it!_

 _Tootles~_


	14. Chocolate Bitten

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

I should have known what was coming, but I didn't. It didn't matter that I'd been _thinking_ about it constantly, right up until that actual moment, because when her lips touched mine, I was so taken off guard that I froze from the overall shock.

It was magical, though. Elsa's lips were _so_ soft. So very soft and pliable that I couldn't even come up with anything to compare them with. And they tasted like frozen raspberries. _Mmm. Does she eat her perfume or something?_ Because those lips tasted just as amazing as she smelled and _smack me running_ the little whimper that escaped the beautiful girl the exact moment our lips touched, was the most out of this world sound I'd ever heard. I wanted more. _So_ much more.

"Ow." Elsa hissed and twitched back, hesitantly bringing her fingers up to her lips. Icy arctic blues morphed into an unknown emotion as we made awkward eye-contact.

"I-I'm sorry!" I blurted hastily while covering my own offending mouth. To my absolute horror, I found out all too late that I had accidentally bitten her lip and wasted not a second more in jerking back before shooting to my feet as my face exploded in a gigantic blush.

"Anna."

Honestly, I didn't want to leave, but being completely mortified caused my body to react on it's own accord.

"Anna?"

Before I knew it, I was at the door with an instant thought. _Wait. Why am I leaving?_ Elsa didn't sound upset about the bite. Only hurt, dejected and sad that I wasn't still there with her. _Then why?_ I was out in the hall, adrenaline pumping, so ready to run like I'd done all those times before, but for an unknown reason, I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart was pounding against my rib cage, head so confused and warbled about it all, yet I stood there frozen in time. _W..what's wrong with me? Why can't I move?_ And why did I _not_ want to? It was like I was being held there by an unknown force.

I couldn't help thinking that since I saw her at the start of the school year, I'd been wanting that exact thing. To kiss her. Yet, I went on and even tried convincing myself that Elsa didn't, wouldn't, like me in the same way and when it finally happened, I ran away. _Coward._ But it was _her_ that initiated the kiss! Sure, I bit her, but it wasn't like she slapped me for it and if _that_ simple tender act of her kissing me in the beginning didn't confirm she liked me (at least a little bit) I had absolutely no idea what did. _Then...why am I here and not there?_

I exhaled sharply in exasperation with myself, letting my shoulders sag at the realization. Reason being: I was utterly _terrified_ that this was only a horrible teasing dream. It wasn't so far-fetched in my opinion. Mainly because, my endless daydreams and nightly REM dreams were filled with those dancing arctic blues, her enticing scent, and I feared it was just another cruel concoction of longing that made me finally lose it. A hallucination. Not only that, but I was also afraid that she _still_ didn't feel the same way and had kissed me purely out of the heat of the moment. But also, I was afraid that maybe she _did_ feel the same. _I'm so confused!_

"Oh, screw this." I growled in finality.

 _Time to face and conquer this stupid fear you coward!_ Turning back around with my jaw set, shoulders squared, I marched straight back into the library to find Elsa still sitting there with a sad look on her gorgeous face. Rejected blue met determined teal as I then practically sprinted to back to her, ignoring the stupid librarian who told me to 'be quiet.' A quick thought crossed my mind and instead of joining my beautiful companion there, at the same seat, I grabbed her hand and then immediately ran back out. Away from prying eyes.

I lead her all the way to the westernmost part of the school and pushed the door open. Once we got up the stairs, I let her through and took a quick second to place the cement block in front of the door.

"An-" She tried to start, but stuttered to a stop because we were suddenly so close. Without thinking with my hands easily moved into her insanely soft platinum locks. Our noses brushed against one another, labored breath lingering between our parted mouths and once those icy blues fluttered closed, I followed sync. Without wasting another breathless minute, I surged forward and carefully connected our lips once more, so as not to bite her again.

The world exploded into magnificent, vibrant color. A kaleidoscope of stars burst to life behind my eyelids, along with fireworks as my heart imploded on itself. Elsa's small whimper only pushed me further, releasing a hoard of butterflies to soar through my stomach.

Unfortunately, us running all the way up to the roof proved too strenuous, because the need for air grew too great to continue like we were.

So our lips parted in an audible 'pop' before I leaned my forehead on her chin, not entirely sure of what I was doing. I just knew we were out of breath, panting, and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I feared she'd hear it. But the worst part was that I was instantly afraid that if I opened my eyes, she would be gone. A sick figment of my imagination. I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes just yet so I settled for sliding my hands through her thick locks, rubbing the back of her head like she was about to disappear before letting the soft strands slip from them as I delicately pulled my fingers outward in a soothing motion.

Elsa's own hands came up to suddenly grip the front of my jacket as an almost silent purr came from her delightful mouth and only then did I steel myself so I could open my eyes. Bit by bit, I allowed them apart to let the sight of Elsa's white button up shirt (complete with a gold tie) filter in. She had shed her blazer earlier because school was out. But now as I pulled back a little, I could see that her chest was rising and falling with each deep, nervous breath she took. _She is here._ I thought in a daze, gulping when she leaned back in until the sides of our noses barely brushed.

My fingers twitched and was instantly greeted with slightly dilated topaz colored irises once she opened them. Like a magnet, I felt the insane pull in those eyes and we had no problems holding each others' orbs while we truly took in the sight of one another. Those eyes. _They'll be the end of me._ It was quite impossible to fully describe how _mesmerizing_ and completely vivacious they were. How deep, yet scared of life they were. _Truly a beautiful girl with gorgeous eyes: a hidden world of hurt and lies._

Regardless, a part of me still couldn't believe she was right there. Even as my eyes easily took in the stunning sight of her gentle freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose, those slightly bruised luscious lips of hers, her creamy soft skin and the small scar just on the tip of her perfect right eyebrow. " _Wow._ " I breathed quietly.

She exhaled sharply before nuzzling her nose against mine. "Am I dreaming?" Was her whispered question, eyes never straying.

"N-no. I hope not." I replied breathlessly, right before placing a quick peck at the corner of her lips. Instinctively, I brought my thumb back around to lightly trace over her lower lip. "Sorry for biting you." _You make me nervous._ "You make me nervous." I finally said out loud, truthfully.

" _You_ make _me_ nervous." Elsa whispered back after pursing her lips against my thumb. I was about to ask why when she suddenly pulled back to slap my arm.

"Ow!" I yelped, taking a cautious step back from those blazing eyes. "Wh-what the heck was that-"

"Why'd you run off like that?" Elsa frowned at me and hit me again for good measure. "You left me there feeling like- like an idiot. I mean, I thought I- I was afraid that I'd messed... _us_...up." She groaned, looking away from me in slight fury. I couldn't blame her.

"I'm the idiot." I admitted and then let my hands finally leave her body to stuff them in my pockets. "I ran away after you ki- actually, I've done nothing _but_ run away from the start and I'm sorry." Clearing my throat, I glanced in the same direction she was looking. "You just became so important to me from the first time I saw you and I was afraid that...if I did something brash like this, you'd be instantly cut out of my life. Especially after we really started talking." I felt her hands let go of my jacket too and then self-consciously licked my lips. I couldn't stop the shiver from jolting down my body as her taste lingered there, yet I pressed on. "I was afraid that if I blinked it all would be gone and that's why I ran. I-I mean I-"

Hands suddenly cupped my face and I found myself being pulled into another gentler kiss that left me dizzy all over when she pulled away. _"Sei bellissima."_ She whispered after backing up and sliding her hands down from my face to my forearms so she could pull my hands out of my pockets. When they were out, she twined our fingers.

"What's that mean?" I asked dreamily, missing the playful tint that manifested in her eyes.

"Adorable little idiot." She giggled before pressing a few more kisses all over my face while said face heated up with a furious blush.

"That's not what it meant." I snickered and then step toward her to bury my face in her neck so she wouldn't see how embarrassed I was at the... I wasn't even sure how to take that. _An insult? A flirt? Tease?_ "You're lucky _I_ can't speak in a different language." I said through my teeth, not mad at all.

"So there's another thing you can't do." Was her smug response.

"Ha-ha." I snorted before I stepped away and pulled her over to the railing. While we stared out into the setting sun, I felt myself filling to the brim with warmth once more. The butterflies were still evident in my stomach and when her hand stayed firmly in mine, a smile formed on my lips. "So, what now?"

She waited a beat before admitting. "I don't know."

"I don't mean what you're thinking." I chuckled and then looked back at her once she brought her confused blue eyes to mine. "We'll get _there_ , Miss Mariani, when we get there." I informed as I swirled my thumb over her hand. "Right now, I really want to buy you some form of dinner." Before she could complain, I held up my free hand to silence her. "Okay, since the library, I've heard your poor stomach growl at least six times."

"Is that your sneaky way of asking me on a date?" Elsa asked shyly, making my own cheeks flush a little. _This was a lot more easier when she was unsuspecting._

"Maybe." I smirked over my shoulder and then tugged on her hand. When she didn't budge, I languidly looked back at her. "Something wrong?"

"Our stuff." She stated like I'd forgotten all about it.

"Mmhmm, it's not like I was going to parkour off the roof with you on my back." Nodding my head, I pointed skyward, "Now let's _go_ before we get old up here." I lead her back into the stairway so we could get away.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't make me bite you again." I joked.

"Go ahead... _Bambi."_ She shot back, making me raise a brow at her in disbelief as I stopped halfway down the stairs.

"Okay. _Barbie._ " I shrugged and then yanked on her hand, making her let out an adorable squeak as she stumbled down a step, right into my waiting arms. With a shaky breath, I caught her and managed to seize her lips with mine. For a short second possibly, because I wasn't sure what her limits were. _I mean, this is only the third kiss!_ The thought made me giddy, but when she leaned back in and parted her lips to deepen the fourth kiss, I felt my figurative socks blow right off my feet.

A short, uncharacteristic groan left me when I felt her cool hands come up to caress my face. I instantly got consumed by the gentle guidance of Elsa's lips, her inviting scent, sweet and fading with the smell of frost. My stomach was experiencing a hurricane of what I had to call excitement every time her plump lips closed around my lower one and when I stepped up on the same stair to pull her closer, she released a hard, equally excited breath through her nose.

And then a white hot heat spread rapidly through my body when her tongue slipped past my lips.

My mind blanked and faded to overwhelming passion. So much so, that I couldn't stop my fingers from digging into her back, trying to draw her nearer even though we were already so close together. I didn't want it to end, but I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that I didn't want to miss out on a single stroke from Elsa's velvet tongue.

I may not have known what I was doing, but that didn't stop my body from backing her up until she was pinned against the wall. She let out a low growl as her hands dragged down my back, too wrapped up in the heat of the moment to care about modesty. It was then that I tried not to jump away, and instead brought my hand up to her collarbone so I could keep her there while I moved away. Again, our breathing was labored and our lips lingered about an inch away from each other, allowing us to still feel the charge that hadn't left since our actual first kiss.

" _Wow._ " Elsa breathed.

"Sorry." I chuckled. "But I've been wanting to do that for sometime now." Clearing my throat. "P-probably not as...hardcore as that, but along those lines somewhere."

"Have you kissed someone before me?" Blue eyes scanned over mine curiously, making me gulp audibly.

"Would you believe me if I said no?" I asked sheepishly, finally stepping back right after so she could breathe or fix her clothes. "I-I mean, I kinda _did_ bite you the first time around." _Which should go down in history as the most awkward kiss ever!_ She let out a quiet giggle as we passed through the door again to the empty corridors. "Can I ask you something?" I asked after carefully extracting my hand from hers once we walked by the first classroom, missing the way she frowned at the loss of contact.

"Sure." She stated.

"How-" The rest of the words to my question caught in my throat when Zeus popped out of nowhere, whistling to himself. Inwardly groaning, I followed her back into the library so we could clear off the history from Coach's desktop and get our things together.

Only when we were outside again did I turn to really ask her. "How long have you liked me?" I cleared my throat awkwardly, "I-I mean, you l-like me right? Maybe a little?" I chewed on my lip, trying to avoid her gaze. _Smooth, Crescent._

"As I recall, there have been _two_ separate occasions were you and I were _this_ close," Her pointer and thumb came up for emphasis, "to kissing and each time, _you_ moved away."

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and rub it in." I grumbled, nudging her shoulder with mine playfully. "I really am sorry, I just thought you didn't feel the same."

Elsa's hand came up to gently touch my shoulder. "Anna, I've felt the same way since I walked in on you singing _Sugar."  
_ She admitted.

"That was embarrassing." I shook my head, missing the looks she gave me. "Come to think of it, almost _everything_ involving you has been embarrassing in one way or another." There was a moment of silence as I finally analyzed what it was she'd just said and when it dawned on me, I snapped my eyes back to her. "Wait, that was... _awhile_ ago." I gaped in surprise.

"Yeah." Elsa nibbled on her lip while her cheeks flushed a cute shade of pink. "So I think it's safe to say that I kind of like you, Anna." She directed a shy smile to the front of her car once we stopped at it.

Nothing could compare to the way I felt at that exact moment. Definitely the day of my dreams. "I kind of like you too, Elsa Mariani." Without a second thought, I placed my hand under her chin to guide her face back to mine. "And I'm over here." Instead of kissing her lips like I wanted, I settled for the tip of her nose that still had the slightest hint of a blue high lighter mark on it. _So cute._

"So, where are we going?" She asked after bringing her thumb up to rub at my chin as well. We probably looked pretty idiotic with the random marks on our faces, but I couldn't care less. We matched.

* * *

"What the. Heck. Is. This?!" Elsa's eyes bugged out of her skull as she examined the monster of a muffin in front of her.

" _This_ , my favorite class president, is a double chocolate chip muffin." I answered before helping myself to a chunk of it. Since they were so huge, I opted for only getting one for dessert

"That's a lot of chocolate." She commented still in shock, obviously not going to pick her jaw up from the table anytime soon.

"Aww..where's your sense of adventure?" I asked. "When was the last time you got to enjoy _this_ much deliciousness?" I licked my thumb after popping a stray chocolate chip into my mouth. "Oh wait, that wasn't too long ago wasn't it?" I asked with a cocky wink.

"Hey, Anna-"

"OWW!" I instantly cried out in pain when Elsa's foot drove right into my shin under the table. _W-was that too much?_ Bringing my stinging eyes up, I caught Esmeralda giving me a bewildered, yet knowing smirk. "H-heyy, you." I hissed while trying to give her a small smile and reaching under the table to rub at my poor bruised appendage. _Ah, she got me good!_ "Just get here?" I needed a distraction from the pain.

"Yeah, I took _La Fidèle_ in for her monthly beauty makeover, so I didn't have a ride." She blew her bangs out of her face before making me scoot over so she could sit down.

"What about Phoebus? Couldn't he drop you off?" I asked, not minding scooting over. At least I was closer to Elsa and within that ratio, she couldn't kick me anymore. Said girl wrinkled her nose at me, which I countered by tearing a piece of muffin off so I could present it to her mouth.

"Well, he's still working the Frollo case so he doesn't have much time for me." She waved me off before taking a sip of my malt shake. "Anyway, who's your pretty friend there? And where are your other _sophisticated_ buddies?"

After futily rubbing the moist pastry against her stubborn full lips, I shrugged before placing it in my own mouth, missing the way it made her flush slightly. "This pretty lady is Elsa. Elsa, Esmeralda. And everyone else is off doing their own things." I stated after taking my shake back from the tan woman's hands so I could take a drink too.

"I see." Esmeralda nodded blankly and then just as instantly, she jumped back up, knocking her knee against the table with a painful yelp. Elsa and I flinched and then looked at each other in question before watching the older woman lean on one leg so she could still address us. "Excuse me for butting in on your date then."

Elsa's breath hitched, but I stepped in. "Oh, that's okay." I grinned smugly. "This is just me treating her out. The _real_ date hasn't been planned yet."

"You don't plan anything." Elsa interjected and then reached out to shake Esmeralda's hand.

"Guilty." I admitted, noticing the subtle way those arctic blues sized up emerald green. The dark haired woman remained clueless as she smiled warmly at Elsa and then turned back to me so she could flick my nose.

"I'll see you later. Got kitchen duty tonight."

"The horror." I threw my hand out semi-dramatically.

"You don't even _know_ , man" The wavy-haired lady and I shared a hearty chuckle before she turned around to head to the restrooms.

"She seems nice."

When I turned back to face Elsa, I was greeted with the other half of the muffin as she stuffed it in my face playfully.

 _Oh that's dirty!_ I laughed along for a second before reaching up to grab her wrist, waiting for her to settle down some and then locked eyes with her. She stilled further as I gently leaned in to smear my face against hers. Elsa had been taken so off guard with the soft way I executed it that she ended up giggling cutely.

* * *

 _A/N: Annnd I have a new cavity! *smirks* Anybody suffered their first kisses like that?_

 _Well, this is going way differently than I originally planned yesterday...but eh, let's see what I can do with it now. The best prize is a surprise!_

 _Thanks for the faves/follows/reads and reviews. You're all sweet sugarbears. Good job._

 _Tootles~_


	15. The Nose

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

That morning.

Letting out a long, noisy yawn, I languidly trudged down the rest of the stairs with one hand scrolling through my phone and the other using the rail as a guide so I didn't end up in a heap on the floor. Staying up half the night trying to convince Kristoff to actually call, or in the very least _text_ the poor cashier girl was worth it, but not so much once I remembered that today was Coach's dreaded physical fitness test. _Seriously. The man should be fired for having us do all those stupid things._

"Burnt pancake for your thoughts?" My dad's deep voice managed to pull my eyes off my screen long enough for me to see that I was walking right past the kitchen.

"I thought we agreed to _not_ let you burn the house down in the mornings." I smirked, coming back to the present and then changed my direction so I could join him at the table.

"Hey, _one_ of us has to learn sometimes." He defended himself, placing a too big stack of pancakes in front of me and a glass of apple juice. When I raised a questioning brow at him, he shrugged sheepishly. "Forgot to go food shopping."

"One: I'm happy you're learning to cook," I let out a chuckle and added, "because we _both_ now I posses the unique power of making water explode." He stifled a snort of his own, but said nothing more about it, so I continued. "And two: No problem. Let's say I ditch school and you ditch work so we can go food shopping together! It'll be an awesome father-daughter day with no other distractions." I pleaded with the biggest puppy-dog eyes I could muster.

"No." Jade eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.

"Please?"

"I said _no._ " He huffed and slid the syrup to me in one fluid motion. "You're not getting out of your _PT_ test, little lady."

My eyes widened before shooting away in mock agitation. " _Argh!_ I shouldn't have told- well, _complained_ to you about it all last week." I grumbled, taking the bottle so I could positively drown the 'cakes before I ate them. Neither he, nor my mom understood why I did that, but really, what better way was there to eat pancakes?

"Oh, you were _inches_ from a clean get away." My dad straightened up and then made me almost choke in laughter when he pointedly tightened his apron with an indignant glare. _Tough guy._

I only gave him the most innocently stupid smile I could and then promptly dug right in to my breakfast, lest we leave late. Again. As the fluffy, misshapen 'cake touched my tongue, I felt the need to shiver. They were actually pretty good. Now, I teased him all the time about not being able to cook when in actuality, his meals were _amazing_. The food itself may have looked questionable nine times out of ten, but ten out of ten times I would leave my plate spotless. This time was no exception.

As I came up for air and took a drink of my juice, I noticed him pouring himself a decent-sized cup of coffee. Just to the right of his head, there was a picture my mom had bought that read _Rise and Grind_ complete with a steaming cup of Joe and a coffee bean on either side of the fancy/grungy fonts. I'd always read it, but never thought more on it. Until that moment. With a lick of my lips, I had to ask him. "Why do you like coffee, dad?"

He paused before taking the sugar and spoon with him so he could settle across from me with his own stack of pancakes. "Mom used to say: _I may rise, but I don't shine until I've had my coffee._ " Those jade eyes hazed a bit as he thought back. I let a smile spread across my lips. "I never used to like it before I met her."

"Wait. So, you're saying that she drank coffee in high school?" I cut another triangle of pancakes.

He practically shoveled a whole circle in his mouth and didn't bother to answer me until most of it was chewed thoroughly. "Well, I didn't find out until we actually started dating." He chuckled in endearment, raising his mug to his scruffy lips. "When I did, I thought she was the most sophisticated woman I'd ever laid eyes on."

"And then she gave you a sip." I grinned.

"And then she gave me a sip." He nodded. "I never knew I could _hear_ colors."

We shared a good laugh while I cut the rest of my stack up and once we settled back down, he suddenly held out the still steaming mug to me. I took note of the simple _E_ printed on the side and immediately felt like tearing up. E for Eliza Crescent. Luckily, his next words took me in a whole different path. "So,tell me, Panda. Do you like your coffee like you like your men: tall, dark and strong?" He joked.

I grinned deviously as I took the mug from his hand. "No, but I _do_ like my coffee like I like my women: sweet, strong, and able to keep me up all night." I answered just as jokingly before taking a swig.

His jaw dropped. I spit out most of what entered my mouth. _Wow, that's hot and bitter!_

"What?" He frowned.

"What?" I repeated, wiping my mouth quickly and feeling my tongue already start to turn numb from the stupid liquid. "Yeah, I officially hate coffee." Cleaning the rest of the table, I missed the way my dad narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me.

"It's not so bad. Trust me, Panda. You'll need it once you get into college." He reached over to take the mug back.

"That's what energy drinks are for." I drawled rhetorically, picking up my plate and then sauntered to the sink so I could rinse it off. I knew I brought up the next topic without really bringing it up, but I still felt my hands becoming clammy at the mere thought. My heart began to race as the hot water took the residual syrup along with it. _No. I'm not ready yet._ Exhaling deeply, I set the plate into the washer before going back to hug his neck. "Thank you for breakfast, daddy."

"Of course, cupcake." He smiled warmly at me when I pulled away, only to lean in and place a tender kiss to my cheek. "Now, let's get going before you get suspended for being tardy."

"Yes! Walk me right to my doom." I lamented before rushing to get my bag.

"Oh it won't be so bad! Chin up, Panda." My dad called after me with a full mouth.

* * *

At the football field.

"PICK UP THE PACE, CRESCENT!" Coach bellowed at the top of his lungs from across the field, making me think that people all the way over in Corona could hear him just as clear as I did. I let out a breathless chuckle at the thought before doing just that. Why did it seem like he was only picking on _me_? I mean, there were other people (people like Ariel Simmons) who were taking their sweet time waltzing around the track.

 _Oh well. Almost done._ I was on my last lap when my mind began to wander in all sorts of directions. I found myself thinking about the conversation with my dad that morning, Elsa, coffee, Kristoff and Sen, Olaf's upcoming play, Elsa, Kida's tribal tattoo and it's actual meaning, my mom, my dad and mom and how they were when they were younger. And _Elsa_. Unfortunately, once I really began to think of a way to tell my dad about her, myself, I didn't see Ariel stick her foot into my path. I swear I felt like a plane crash landing headlong onto the runway. Face plant.

The pain started from my face and then spread like wildfire through my entire body until it ended at my toes.

Springing back up, I ran back to a shocked redhead and grabbed her shirt collar almost violently. "What the hell is your problem, Simmons?!" My voice was coated in rage, but when she suddenly went fuzzy in my vision, I took a step back and shook my head of the dizziness. _Ouch._ Not knowing what was up with me, I continued to grip her shirt while I tried to catch my breath and glared daggers at her. If she wasn't careful, I was wholly willing to break her nose again.

"What happened?" Coach appeared behind us, easily taking my shoulders and pulling me away from her.

"She tripped me." I growled with an accusing finger pointed at her. Something dribbled out of my nose and presented a metallic taste in my mouth then, but I ignored it to glare at the other girl she was walking with. "You saw it, didn't you?"

The girl paled. "I-I have nothing to do with this." She then jogged away like the coward she looked like. Finally running like she was supposed to already be doing.

"Maybe if you paid more attention-" Ariel began, getting over her initial shock of having tripped me good.

"Maybe _you_ should focus more on running than trying to pick a fight with me." I snapped. _You want another fight?_

"Anna, go to the nurse's office." Coach kept a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, and I suppose the sun revolves around you too, huh? Everything is either Elsa the perfect, or Anna the rebel, isn't it?" Ariel wasn't backing down and unbeknownst to us, a light crowd had begun to gather around. I spat that ugly taste out of my mouth before wiping at my hurting lips.

"You _do_ know that it's the _earth_ that revolves around the _sun,_ right? And the color Jealousy is an ugly shade for your clear wannabe face." My condescending tone made her puff up with her own rage. Everyone around us erupted in a unanimous chuckle at that. Before I knew it, she'd jumped at me and successfully tackled me to the track in one fell swoop. Only because I wasn't expecting it.

Once I got my bearings, I managed to block all of her unprofessional punches with my arms and then managed to get a powerful right jab to her cheek when the clear opening presented itself. I had the satisfying view of watching her head snap to the side, but before I could offer more from where that came from, she partly screamed and continued to wildly shower my arms with non-powerful punches until Coach stepped in to yank her off of me.

"SIMMONS, OFFICE! CRESCENT, GO TO THE NURSE!" He roared dangerously and then almost forcefully had to drag a very agitated, protesting Ariel in the opposite direction as I stumbled back up to my feet. Spitting another bout of blood from my mouth I ignored the delicious adrenaline still rushing through my veins and pushed through the now thicker crowd that had gathered.

I didn't expect to hear victorious cheers from them.

* * *

Nurse's office.

"ANNA! Are you okay?!"

"What the heck happened!?"

"I-is your nose broken?!"

Kida, Olaf, and Kristoff burst through the door, instantly rushing to me while the nurse just as quickly shushed them. There were a few other students taking naps, so quietness was always appreciated. Even if the lazybutts shouldn't have been in there in the first place. Anyway, she'd been carefully examining the damage done to my poor nose, busted lip and scraped chin with experienced old eyes when she turned to address the newcomers.

"Miss Crescent is fine." She stated, making a relieved sigh leave the trio before us. "Of course we won't know more until the swelling subsides, but just from the looks of it, she's got a slight fracture. Nothing major to worry about." After patting my leg, the nurse gave me a reassuring smile and left me there to rest a minute more.

"What in the world?" Kida was first to cup my cheeks and lift my head up into the light. Her concerned sky blue eyes bored into mine before trailing down to my chin in deep thought. I gulped awkwardly at how closely she was scrutinizing my face.

"Did you get in another fight?" Kristoff asked sternly, crossing his arms. "Please tell me you didn't."

" _No_." I sighed heavily and then moved away from Kida's intimidating stare. Seriously, it felt like she could see right into my soul sometimes and right then I didn't want her to.

"Oh? Then why did I see Ariel Simmons storming out of Weselton's office with tears in her eyes and a nasty bruise on her face?" Olaf asked next.

"She probably walked into a wall." I shrugged.

"We all know you two have P.E together." Kristoff grunted before coming closer to tip my face upwards so he too could inspect the damage. "Stop lying." He added.

"I don't know what her problem is!" I inadvertently admitted and slapped his hand away so I could stand up. "She tripped me, I yelled at her, she said something stupid, I corrected her, maybe tossed in an insult and then she was all over me like a wild animal." Glaring out the window to that stupid football field, I quietly added. "And I might have socked her for good measure."

"Wait, you said she _tripped_ you?" Kida asked, already starting to giggle.

"Yeah." I confirmed, not noticing the way they all looked goofily from one to another.

"What were you doing?" Olaf asked next.

"Running. It _was_ Smoot's exam day." I grumbled.

"So, she tripped you." Kristoff stated.

"Yes, for the hundredth time! I was running and she tripped me. Aren't you listening?" I growled heatedly and when I turned to look back at them, I felt my cheeks flush a little at their idiotic faces.

They suddenly roared with laughter.

"Of course that's the only way to injure you!" Olaf cried, clutching at his stomach.

"I told you. You have _got_ to stop daydreaming!" Kida sat where I was before so she didn't end up on the floor. I rolled my eyes, letting a small smile tug at my lips from the ridiculousness of it all. Even Kristoff couldn't talk because he was laughing too hard.

* * *

After school.

I had to retake the exam tomorrow.

The _one_ time I try to be serious about my random thoughts and _this_ happens. Looking into the mirror in the girls' style room, I blew my bangs out of my eyes in annoyance. Once the swelling went down, I managed to cover my poor abused nose in a band-aid. As for my lip and chin...I decided to leave them alone and let them heal on their own. Besides, I didn't want to walk around with my whole face bandaged up and since my nose was most prominent, I felt the self-conscious need to protect it from prying eyes. I figured I'd already suffered enough humiliation on the field and from my friends to get anymore from random students in the hall anyway.

Of course I should have known it wouldn't be that easy to avoid.

As I walked out of the restroom, I held my head high and ignored the stares I was already getting. But the hushed whispers that swirled around like smoke made me think back to what Ariel had said earlier: _Elsa the perfect and Anna the rebel._ What did that even mean? I mean, I knew there were other troublemakers than me. Like Eugene Fitzherbert (A.K.A Flynn Rider) who had a permanent seat in the detention room since he constantly flirted with every female in the school. Regardless of age. Or Merida Abernathy who defied almost all the rules of the school. Or Jack Sparrow for being...well Jack Sparrow. (I was almost fairly sure that it was _him_ that set the trashcan on fire.)

Regardless, I had to wonder if Elsa and I's names came up together more than once because I was working with her. That had rumor spread faster than lightening from the first moment I walked into the boardroom. I honestly didn't pay attention to any of them, so I couldn't care less about what they thought about me.

I was worried about Elsa though.

 _Elsa._ A smirk played at my lips at the thought of seeing those arctic blues sooner than later. Honestly, we had yet to really figure out what the heck happened the other day between us, but I didn't mind. Just being around her was enough and if there was something more eventually, I didn't want either of us feeling the crushing pressure of the student body to admit it out loud.

Even _I_ wasn't there yet.

As I reached for the doorknob, my hand closed around thin air when the door opened. My eyes instantly widened in surprise when I saw Hans Marsden standing in front of me.

"Hi." He stated after a full minute of trying to figure out who I was.

"Hey." I stepped back so I wouldn't get melted on the spot from his inaudible charm that seemed to ooze off of him in waves.

"Anna, right?" His gentle voice was one to be easily heard in a sea of chaos. Smile confident and blinding. Hair perfectly combed and uniform just as pristine as Elsa's. _He even smells nice!_

"Right." I nodded once and extended my hand, which he took with a sure grip.

"Nice to finally meet you." He grinned and then leaned in, "Elsa talks about you all the time."

And then he was gone.

I frowned in confusion as I walked the rest of the way into the boardroom, tossing my bag down and settling in the nearest seat. _What was that all about?_

"Anna, I was wondering if-" A short gasp was heard along with the sound of her chair pushing out. In the next instant, heavily concerned icy blue eyes filled my vision. The scent of frozen berries also infiltrated my nose. "What-" She tried.

"I-it's nothing." I stammered, glancing back at the door I'd foolishly left open.

"You're hurt." Elsa's sweet accented voice filled my ears, making me turn back to her almost automatically.

"It's just a scratch."

"Your lip."

"Halloween trick."

"Anna." Elsa frowned at me, _so_ not in the mood for my teasing right now.

I sighed resignedly and answered her unheard question. "No, it wasn't a fight. But I'm surprised you haven't heard about it." Giving her a small smile, I looked back at the door. "What did Hans need?"

"Oh, he's in charge of calling the vendors and setting up appointments with the entertainers you gathered information on the other da- why are you changing the subject?" She suddenly pulled away from me so she could place herself between the door and I.

"Elsa, I'm _fine_." Leaning back in my chair, I looked up at her with another soothing grin. "I'm not in trouble if that's what your thinking." _And it is._ I drawled, keeping that last thought to myself and stood up to lean in with my hand covering the side of my mouth, "I'm not going anywhere, _Barbie._ " Winking while I was at it.

"Right." Elsa scoffed and watched me pass her so I could close the door. "And you've _got_ to stop calling me that."

 _Only when I need you to do something you haven't done before, eh?_ "Okay, okay." I snickered at my own thought and then turned around to find her going back to her desk, where I wandered to as well. Her annoyed from was back. It was an endearing sight to behold, but I needed to fix it, lest we _already_ start a fight. Frankly, I was done fighting for the day.

"Hey." I carefully reached over to brush her silky hair behind her ear. It took her a bit, but when she finally brought her eyes to mine, I explained what happened. "Why would I _want_ to get in more trouble when I've already got your attention?" I asked right after, watching delightfully as a light flush captured her pretty cheeks.

She muttered in defeat before looking away from me. "Darn you, _Gattina."_

I didn't know what that meant, but with the affectionate way she said it had my stomach flop happily. "Back atcha, _Snow Paw_." Ignoring my injured lip, I leaned in to place a chaste kiss to the top of her head, reveling in the way she quietly growled at me as her cheeks bloomed from a light flush to a dazzling blush that spread across the bridge of her nose.

 _So freaking cute!_

* * *

 _A/N: *chuckles* I don't think I have anything to add to that._

 _But, you know, thanks for reading and whatnot^^_

 _Tootles~_


	16. Auditore

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

" _Lip scrub._ " I read out lout while inspecting the small container that Kida had handed me with a proud smirk.

"Yes." She nodded happily.

"No." I gave it back to her before walking away from the excited girl to see what my other buddies were up to. For once we were actually having a rather quiet lunch. What with Olaf cramming in as much rehearsal time as he could and Kristoff doing his best to help him out whenever he could. (Kristoff also got cornered by Ms. Mode not too long ago and was now doing the background work alongside the other drama kids.) Unlike me, he didn't know how to get out of it and ended up surrendering to do her evil deeds. So they were pretty much up to their ears in tasks while I got stuck with... _this_ particular human being.

"Anna-" A hand grabbed my own and tugged me back. "Look, just because you wash your face every day doesn't mean your lips are forever clean." Kida held my arm firmly while staring straight into my eyes. There was a tense pause and I finally groaned in annoyance when she opened the container, prompting me to dip my finger in there just after. "Trust me, it'll make your lips feel _so_ soft, they'll be clean and you can even put some chap stick on aft-"

"Okay, _where_ exactly are you going with all of this mumbo-jumbo about lips and whatnot?" I had to ask, holding up my hand to stop her from doing it herself when I didn't budge.

Mischief shown clearly in her sky blue eyes, making them almost glow in the afternoon sun along with pure excitement. I flexed my jaw uneasily and tried not to outright glare at her, but man was she pushing it! Especially when she made a big deal about glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot and then leaned in to whisper, "Don't think I didn't see the way you were flirting, (quite heavily might I add,) with… _Elsa Mariani_." Her voice dipped a tad lower, causing a stupid blush start to form on my face. "With as close as you two were, in the garage, on your birthday, " she grinned maniacally. "I can only surmise you'll only be getting closer as the days go by. Who knows, you might _already_ be on the one of the roads less traveled." Her eyes narrowed when I hesitantly looked around too, seeing no one too close and once I looked back, she nudged my shoulder pointedly. "You sly dog you."

"Oh, whatever." I snorted, _thankfully_ , without a stutter and instead turned away again to find someone. _Anyone!_ To help me get away from the only person who could read me like an open book. I wasn't sure if Kida really, truly knew the extent of Elsa and my somewhat budding relationship and I could only hope that she didn't go blabbing about it because _I_ didn't actually know what it was either.

Before I could fully shake the playful white-haired woman, I bumped right into the one person we'd been talking about.

"Hi!"

"Hi!" We both said together while I instinctively reached out to steady her. Elsa smiled awkwardly when I immediately handed her phone back to her since I'd managed to catch it when the collision occurred.

And just like that, my jumbled thoughts ceased as I looked into those now warm arctic blues. "No talking and texting- I-I mean _walking_ and texting." I couldn't stop the smirk from spreading across my face, regardless that I had already stumbled over my words like an idiot. Mainly because she looked adorable with those big, surprised eyes at seeing me _during_ school hours.

School life had gone on as usual. Me: getting into minor trouble for my mouth in almost every class (especially PE) and her staying at the top of her class while practically running the whole school in the meantime. We didn't get to see each other until after school, which _I_ was fine with because I wasn't sure how others would see her if she were to hang around with a junior. However, for myself, I wouldn't have minded that. I mean, who wouldn't want the gorgeous council president's attention?

" _Whoa_. Thought you could escape me now, didn't you, F- hi Miss President!" Kida had already caught my sleeve, but once she saw _why_ I stopped in the first place, she instantly put on an innocent face. "I don't think we've been properly introduced." Letting go of my sleeve, she sidled up next to me to extend a hand to the still slightly stunned class president. "I'm Kidagakash Nedakh, one of Anna's _best_ friends. Pleasure to meet you." She grinned widely. I rolled my eyes when she emphasized the _best_ part and silently shook my head at Elsa, who then returned a more kind smile as she took the proffered hand.

"Elsa Mariani. Pleasure's all mine." Her tone was as polite and confident as could be, but I could tell she was a little leery of the other white-haired girl because of how close she'd witnessed us before. I wouldn't, outright, call it _jealousy_ when Elsa did those little once-overs of the friends I hung out with, but that was just me. Although, if it really was jealousy, I was in trouble. For one: I had Kida, Esmeralda, and Alice as somewhat close girl-friends and if she was uncomfortable with it… _Forget it. You're getting ridiculous, Crescent._ I snapped myself out of my own reverie to see Elsa looking expectantly at me. To my right, I could see that even Kida was tilting her head in question.

"Huh?" I blurted.

"I was saying that I need your help with something in the boardroom?" Elsa's face twitched the tiniest bit in a smile when she beheld my utter confusion.

"Mind if I tag along?" Kida asked and then poked my side, making me jump.

" _Yes_ we mind." I hissed dangerously, threatening to slap at her if she didn't cut it out soon. "Like we can go spilling all the secrets about what the school has planned? Are you crazy?" I raised both of my brows in amusement at her.

"And _now_ I want to go really bad." Kida gleamed at us in anticipation. "Since when did you become a full member of the board, Anna?"

"Anna is my personal assistant and I need her help organizing important documents, along with calling certain vendors for an upcoming carnival we have planned." Elsa stealthily stepped in and fixed Kida with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, but it'll probably bore you for the rest of lunch period."

With a knowing smirk, Kida took a cautious step back. "Say no more. I'm sure the drama club could use an extra set of hands." When she turned around, she tossed a wink at me directly, "Wouldn't wanna hang around a couple of _boring_ people who are going to be spending the rest of lunchtime in a classroom. Alone. In the boardroom. Alone."

"Kida." I growled, taking a daring step forward. Sky blue eyes widened in mock fear as she began to walk more briskly, breaking into a full on run while a laugh- a cackle escaped her mouth. "Pfft!" I let out a quiet groan as she disappeared around the corner. _And Elsa thinks I'M a troublemaker._

* * *

After sitting in silence for more than a few minutes, I put the pen I'd been playing with down and let out a soft sigh. "What's the matter?" I asked, turning so I could face my table companion who hadn't said a word since Kida left us and we escaped into the boardroom. "Snow Paw?" My hand came up to poke her cheek.

"What?" Elsa suddenly looked up from the paper in front of her to blink at me.

"What's the matter?" I asked again, this time reaching out to pull her papers toward me. "We've been sitting here for, like, ten minutes now and you haven't said a word." Scanning over the paper, I was surprised to see that it was a job application to some shop in the outside mall. The same one where Sen worked, if I was correct. Glancing around the room, like there were people there, I then leaned over to give her a reassuring smile.

"Sorry." She whispered, but kept her gaze away from mine. It amazed me that she managed to cast the perfect image to nearly the whole world and while I didn't mind, was even honored to be one of the very few that seemed to know _who_ Elsa Mariani was. It happened to be a little difficult to get her to open up when she didn't want to.

But that could be fixed.

Elsa's pretty blue eyes widened a little as she registered myself moving in. Something between a whimper and the word ' _what?'_ left her lips when my hand came up to push an invisible hair behind her ear. I'd moved forward so gradually that it took a handful of anticipated moments before our lips even brushed, but once our lips touched, I let another soft sigh escape. It wasn't rushed like the few times before, not a lighthearted peck or the lingering sweeps across her beautiful head of hair. No. It was soft. So soft that the warmth of it was indistinguishable from the hot air she breathed when her lips opened. This kiss was also slow. One long, solitary kiss, that left me momentarily breathless by the time our lips closed together again.

Letting her luscious lips guide mine open once more, just as slowly, I felt myself relax further. The atmosphere began to grow comfortable. Like she was finally letting those annoying walls of hers down and once she did, I let my other hand come around to cup her soft cheek while my first hand drew gentle circles into her defiant jaw. That time, Elsa's velvet tongue made the barest graze against my lips, causing a shudder to jolt down my body once the tip of it gifted a careful caress to the flat of my own. _Wow._ I inhaled sharply from the unexpected rush the sensual action caused. And all too soon, she began to move away.

 _No. No, no, wait!_ I almost frowned at the audacity of that tease, when my hand grew a little more bold and reached further back into her thick plait, silently urging her to me for more without trying to seem too desperate. She thankfully obliged and turned her body more so she could face me correctly.

The kiss then gained nothing in speed, but everything in depth. And urgency. I managed to pull her closer so that our lips pressed together more firmly, and we both took in a hard breath that seemed to fuel the growing tension in the slowness of it. My other hand suddenly left her cheek to venture down her side, making Elsa whimper again. Unbeknownst to her, that little noise had sparked such an unexplainable strong reaction between my legs, and I found myself wanting more. I wanted it harder. Heavier. I wanted every touch from Elsa's tongue to be sturdier, every breath faster and shallower. _Odin_ , I wanted her _hands_ somewhere on me. Anywhere.

All I could think in that moment was to turn. Maybe place myself on her lap so I could get what I'd been wanting, since she seemed to be too patient to do it herself. But once I tried, the stupid table decided to get in the way and I ended up bashing my thigh into it.

"Ow-!" I yelped in pain before flopping dejectedly back into my chair while rubbing at the sore spot. My face instantly heated up once I heard a snicker coming from her. "And just what are _you_ laughing at?" I growled with a semi-playful sneer, glancing over to see her covering her mouth with one hand as her little snicker multiplied.

" _P_ _erdonami, Dolcezza."_ Elsa was laughing so hard she wasn't making any sense to me, but I was sure she had said some sort of…apology? Insult? _It'd better be the first one._ I thought to myself as an uncalled grin started to form on my face. _Why is she so cute?_ Shaking my head fondly, I took a calming breath and leaned my chin on my open palm, patiently waiting for her to settle down some.

When she eventually did, she took another deep breath and didn't hesitate to pat the leg I was still rubbing too, "Sorry, Anna." She whispered again and brought her still laughing icy blue eyes up to mine in an informal apology.

"Nice to see you again, Snow Paw." I fully grinned at her, catching the hand on my thigh and bringing it up to the table where I could trace her thumb with mine. She gave me a shy smile and looked away for a moment. "Think you can tell me now?" I asked, scooting my chair closer since she seemed a little more open now. Too bad the moment was ruined as well, but at least she was more at ease than before.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I'm tired is all."

"Uh huh. And my middle name is _Alawicious_." I nodded skeptically before bringing her hand closer to my chest. "I already know that, Miss Mariani." I snickered softly. "You have perfect grades, not to mention, perfect attendance, playing your part in everything involving the curriculum, or whatever, you keep up with the staff (no matter _how_ annoying they are) you deal with your own council members about running this school..." as I ticked off the fingers on my free hand, I could see the evident weariness of her pretty face with each one. "Yes, it all boils down to a large amounts of unwanted fatigue in the long run. But what I _want_ to know, my sweet," bringing her hand to my lips, I kissed it softly. "Is, _what's the matter?_ "

A pause while she chewed her lower lip. "My dad left last night."

It was said with so much hurt that I automatically pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her. She gladly accepted my hug and even returned it with a heavy sigh. I had no idea how to really respond to the unexpected news, but I _did_ know that I could probably assuage her hurt somehow. I had to. I would. Even just a distraction of sorts.

"What are you doing this weekend, Snow Paw?" I asked once I figured she wasn't going to start crying. Of course I wouldn't have minded if she did though, because she needed some sort of release after having to go through all that.

Elsa pulled back to raise an already amused brow at me. I smiled again at her before shrugging sheepishly. "I told you you don't plan." She said, giving me that awkward, crooked smile that I'd noticed from the beginning of the year. _Good to see she isn't as affected as she could be._ Either that, or she was trying to block me out, which I hoped she wasn't doing.

"So what?" I asked on a chuckle. "Let's you and I go somewhere beautiful to get lost." After nibbling on my lip, I added "Your eyes don't count."

" _Sei unica, Anna._ " She leaned in to initiate her first kiss to my cheek. "And you're _such_ a dork."

"You like it." I smirked.

"Very much so." She agreed.

* * *

There were only a few minutes before classes started back up, so I decided to find something out for myself. "So what exactly have you been saying to me?" I asked curiously. "I gather that it's some sort of..." I frowned as I thought back to one of the Spanish classes I'd taken the year before. _She called me Gattina. Gato means 'cat,' right? And then she said something about a...singing ballerina?_ "What's your accent? O-or where's it from?" I finally asked after partly frying my brain just from thinking too much about it.

Elsa had been typing something on her laptop, but once I started talking, she stopped to give me her full attention. _"Buon giorno, Gattina. Mi chiamo, Elsa Mariani."_ Her mouth moved hypnotically and I found myself staring at them unabashedly as her honey-dipped words flowed into my ears. _Wow. That's so hot!_ But what was it? The way the words rolled off her velvet tongue sounded so mind blowing that it might have aided in electrocuting the last of my brain cells.

"Is it...Mexican?" I asked half dreamily. She shook her head with a slightly playful smirk on her gorgeous face. _She said it again. Gattina._ But it wasn't Mexican. _She said anyway._ "German?"

"Nope."

"Chinese?"

"Seriously?" She giggled, making me shrug.

"Hawaiian?"

"Anna."

"It's French, isn't it?" I grinned, knowing she was going to tell me sooner than later if I kept it up.

"No."

"Can I have a hint?"

" _Buon giorno_ wasn't enough?" She asked, finally closing her laptop so she could bring her delectable hands up to steeple those long fingers in front of her still curved inviting lips.

On the other hand, that greeting _did_ sound familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't decipher it. _Where have I heard-_ My eyes widened excitedly as the answer suddenly presented itself in my head. "Ciao bella! Literally the only other phrase I know that's Italian." I grinned at her as a pleased smile coveted her features. Regardless that I'd probably butchered the normally pleasant greeting with my own inexperienced pronunciation. I'd just managed to scrape by my Spanish class with a C+, so there was no real shocker there.

 _"Bravissima."_ Elsa didn't seemed to mind and then hesitantly leaned over her desk to awkwardly kiss my forehead since that was all she could get to without knocking things off.

I honestly had _Ezio Auditore_ to thank for my eventual last guess and judging from the looks of it, I was very fortunate to have tried to play that particular game when Kristoff and Olaf had told me to. I liked it and even went as far as to read the books and had actually been as stoked as my buddies to have the newest game when it came out. (I still couldn't play, but watching Kris and Olaf do it all was just as awesome.)

"Yay, me." I snickered before getting up to lean over to kiss her as well. That time she saw me and had met me halfway, to my surprise.

 _"In gamba, Anna."_ She whispered against my lips and then said, "good job." For some reason, I knew that _that_ wasn't exactly what she had said, but I didn't care. At the moment.

She had unknowingly given me an idea for a game we could eventually play and I couldn't wait to research all about it.

* * *

 _A/N: A little short, but hey when you gotta wake up in 3hrs to go to somewhere where there are bright lights and finals...you get pressed for time. Anyway, yay all of you!_

 _Thank you for reading/reviews/faves and follows._

 _Tootles~_


	17. Saturday

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Black Bear Auto.  


Taking in the sight of the piece of junk before me, I let out a semi-relieved sigh. For once, I finally got the chance to see what still had to be done in order to get my poor bike up and running. (Seeing that it seemingly was going to be a slow Saturday and all.) Anyway, the bike honestly didn't look too bad since Marko and Giovanni had begun picking at it whenever they got the chance. Which I was quite thankful for because I could only work a few times a week (after school activities and all,) but I usually got a full day on Saturday's. Regardless, the two gents even went as far as taking all the farrings off and it also looked like they'd changed the oil and took the old battery out. _Nice._ I smirked to myself and just about got my hands on my prize when another familiar voice joined me.

"So, you're, like, _not_ going to spend time with that pretty lady-friend of yours today?" Petro asked from behind me after clapping his hand on my shoulder.

I snorted and looked over said shoulder at him. Well, I had to look _up_ to eventually see his eyes, but that was whatever. _Tall handsome galoot!_ "It kinda looks like I'm working, no?" I shrugged, keeping my mind on track instead of letting it wander like it wanted to.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not like you _can't_ ask for a day off, Crescent. It's a gorgeous Saturday!" He swept his arms around the partly empty garage before suddenly stopping mid-thought. "Unless...you don't have her number?"

That time I didn't hesitate to smack him upside the head, making him bark out a loud laugh that echoed through the garage. "Of course I have her number! What kind of person do I look like?" I growled, ignoring the not-so-quiet chuckles from the other guys under their hoists and instead, watched him push a hand through his dark, curly hair that instantly came back to wrap around his chiseled face and neck. "And you can _not_ call me 'Crescent.'" I poked his cheek pointedly. "Everyone at school already does and it gets really old, really fast."

He showed off his lone dimple before asking with a toothy grin, "Well, _Cara_. What do your friends call you?"

" _Anna._ " I snarked back like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Pfft!" Petro laughed and moved around to inspect my bike with me.

"Feisty-Pants?" I tried. _Anything's better than Crescent._ Just thinking about the ridiculing way most of my teachers said it made me flex my jaw in annoyance.

"Now you're just making stuff up."

"Am not!" I shouldered him with a playful scowl. "And if you have such a problem with calling me, Anna...by all means, make up your own."

"You got it, _Cucciola."_ He returned my shove to our shoulders with a more gentler, playful one.

I sighed deeply and that time, pushed my own hand through my hair. "And what on earth does _that_ mean, my dearest Petroleum?" _Seriously, Elsa calls me all kinds of things and I never-_ Furrowing my brow curiously, I glanced back at him. "Are you Italian, by chance?"

"Well-" He pretended to think about it, even clicking his tongue in the process. "My dad's name _is_ Giovanni D'Amico. So that'd make me Petro D'Amico and my little sister's name-"

"I get it, I get it!" I couldn't stop my hand from clamping itself over his strong looking mouth. If he made a big deal out of it, I assumed D'Amico was an Italian name. _Oy, I need to expand on my continents again._ But, this was absolutely perfect though! If Elsa Mariani wouldn't tell me what she was calling me, there was a translator standing right next to me. I grinned mischievously. "What does Gatina mean?" I inwardly face palmed at the way it rolled off my tongue. More like crumbled out of my mouth. _Sounds so much better when she says it!_

Blue-gray eyes narrowed at me in thought once again while he crossed his arms. "You...mean _Gattina?_ " He asked skeptically. _And apparently it sounds better from him too._ I kept that to myself though.

"Yes. That." I grumbled before leaning over to try to fix the bent out of shape mirror to no avail. _Probably need to replace it._

"Is that what she calls you?" Petro asked after another minute of thoughtfulness.

"Sometimes. Among other things." I mumbled, trying to be nonchalant as I made a quick note about the size of the mirror and began to think about where I could look for one later.

"Then I think it's best that I stay out of it." His chuckle was as silky as his hair, but it made me groan in slight frustration.

"Why not? She doesn't tell me these things and it's starting to drive me crazy." I lamented dramatically before punching his shoulder.

He let out another delightful laugh and after rubbing his poor arm, he quickly reached out to stop me from continuing to get my hands dirty. I'd been reaching for the old battery. "Don't worry, she will. Hang in there _Cucciola."_ He told me and then turned me away from the bike to lead me to the garage door. "Now, why don't you take the day off, at _my_ expense-" He held a long finger to my lips to keep me from talking over him, "Yes, it's my day off. I'm only here because I had to bring my dad in, but that's not important. Anyway, we'll swap a different day so you can enjoy your weekend. Yes?"

 _No wonder he's not dressed for the garage._ I only barely saw his favorite autographed _UFC_ shirt (which seemed a bit on the small side because of his muscles) and laid-back blue jeans. Those along with his fine, curly hair and muscles, killer grin... _Could he be more attractive?_ I often wondered why he didn't seem to have a girlfriend. _Focus!_ "Petro." I shook my head free of thoughts, but his hands squeezed my shoulders pointedly.

"Ah, ah, ah. Go, _simpatica._ We'll trade next weekend." He patted my head like a child.

"Okay, _how_ old are you? Dang, Sistine...buttress." I chuckled disdainfully at the ridiculousness that fell out of my mouth and he joined me.

"Don't hurt yourself now, sweet little puppy."

" _Argh!"_ I punched his arm, causing him to cry out again while my face heated up in a blush. That had to be a bruise by now, but I didn't particularly care. "Shut up." _I can see why Elsa punches me all the time, now._

* * *

Incognito.

"HUSH!" Kida quickly smashed her hands over mine and Olaf's mouths to keep us from waving around wildly to get the unaware chestnut haired girl's attention. "Frankenteen doesn't know she's here too. Let's wait and see how he handles the surprise." There was almost a wild look in Kida's eyes that was palpable enough to build up the anticipation until adrenaline began to course through our veins. Yet, we stayed firmly huddled behind the booth with our noses pressed to the back of the chair, eyes as focused as a lioness to her prey.

"Ten bucks says he turns into a total klutz when he sees her." I smirked knowingly, watching my clueless friend as he continued to gather the remainder of our food.

"I say he drops all of our delicious shakes." Kida snickered.

"Oh, give the poor guy a break." Olaf reprimanded. " _Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway._ "

"Not to sound mean, but this is _Kristoff_ we're talking about." Kida frowned at our shortest member. "He's not exactly the smoothest operator, this side of Arendelle County."

"Shut up." I growled at them and then forced them to look forward just in time.

 _Crash!_

"Move out!" I shouted, all but shoving Kida into the aisle so we could rush to our suddenly clumsy friend's aid before he did something else stupid. Like stuttering like a fool, chasing the unbroken cups around on the wet floor and then finally cutting his hand on a piece of stray glass. I ought right cringed at the sight of that. _Kristoff, you genius!_

But before we could get to him, I instantly grabbed shirt collars and slowed Olaf and Kida down as Sen knelt in front of Kristoff first. By the time we actually got there, she had already wrapped his hand in one of the cloth napkins from her table while some other workers came to start cleaning up the mess. Olaf was next to fall on his knees beside the two with wide frantic eyes. _Always one for a dramatizations._ I chuckled inwardly and waited for his mouth to open while keeping Kida from interrupting like I knew she so badly wanted to.

"Kristoff! Buddy, talk to me. What happened?!" Olaf cried before examining the bandaged hand. "MEDIC!" He shouted at no one in particular, though it _did_ catch the attention of the other half of the people in Johnny Rockets.

"O, s-stop it." Kristoff stammered, darting his eyes back and forth in embarrassment. Even Sen had to bite her lip to keep from giggling out loud at the adorable display. (For _her_ anyway.) For Kida and I... _we_ were trying not to push it further than Olaf already was. _I mean, the guy is stuttering like me!_ It was an amusing thought.

 _Still._ "Seriously, buddy. Do we need to take you to the hospital?" I asked after stopping myself from laughing at him too. They may have gotten a kick of _my_ embarrassing motives from time to time, but the guy was truly injured. Bleeding, even.

"Hospital? Aw, just rub some dirt in it." Kida slapped his shoulder harshly, but there was still a hint of worry in her big eyes as well.

"Hey, it's no big deal." Sen's... _sen_ sual voice smoothed over all the initial clattering in the restaurant, making us pause in whatever it was we were doing at the moment. We all brought our attention to the pretty chestnut haired girl who was too busy smiling in assurance at a clearly blushing Kristoff. "But we should probably clean it. Just in case."

"U-uh, I was going to-" He futily tried to get out of it.

"By all means!" Kida and Olaf chimed in together before practically pushing him into her.

"Infections are _no_ joke." I added without trying to physically force them together like _those_ other smart ones.

"Come on." Sen smiled brightly at the poor guy and then tugged him up so she could lead him to the table she had been sitting at. Kristoff's ears reddened substantially while she dug around in her purse and it was then that I noticed that she was here alone. _She's one classy woman._ I thought with a proud grin.

A grin that turned to a grimace when she quickly put hand sanitizer on his cut, making him cry out in more surprise than pain.

"OW! What's that supposed to do other than hurt me?" Kristoff scowled, but kept his eyes where Sen was still holding his hand still. Afraid to let her see him so vulnerable

"I'm sorry, Kristoff. I- this is the best I can do for now." She apologized with wide, innocent, honey-colored eyes. Of course, the tone of her sweet voice made him instantly forget about what Pain was so _he_ could be the one to apologize for making such a big deal out of it. _And now she's blushing._ They were _so_ cute together! A fond smile tugged at my lips and I was suddenly _very_ thankful that Petro had switched weekends with me.

"I've got an idea!" Kida butted in on their little moment and wrapped her arms around their necks almost obnoxiously. "Why don't you join Olaf and I and we'll get some more food? My treat." She smiled _very_ convincingly at them both, but I frowned in confusion.

"Wait a minute." I folded my arms over my chest defensively. "What about me?"

Kida glanced at me before narrowing her eyes knowingly. " _You_ , miss Feisty-Pants, have _something_ to take care of." Jerking her chin to the left, she made me turn to look that way without having to do it herself. A startling flash of platinum blonde presented itself in the window before vanishing like a lightning bolt.

My heart fluttered instantly.

"Yeah. I-I'll see you guys later." I just about dashed out of there, but stopped long enough to give Sen a warm, welcoming smile. And then jabbed my thumb at the still flushed wall of a friend. "Keep an eye on him for me, he tends to try to lash out at Kida every once in awhile. As for Kida...just let her be. Usually, Olaf's a good peacekeeper if you reward him with Twizzlers-"

"Okay, _mother_." Kida appeared behind me with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "We can handle ourselves."

"I'm just worried about Sen is all." I chuckled, making eye-contact with the pretty girl that returned my smile happily. "She hasn't been exposed to your madness, yet."

"And you're going to miss out on _your_ madness if you don't get out of here." Kida hissed at me and discretely pinched my side.

"R-right. I'll catch up later." I slapped her hand and tried to smile convincingly at the other three before turning to go.

"Wait, where _are_ you going?" Olaf called after me in bewilderment.

"Hush! She's got an appointment." Kida successfully covered for me as I practically sprinted out of Johnny Rockets.

* * *

My eyes frantically scanned over the flow of people while my lungs burned with exertion. _Where'd you go?_ Honestly, she could have gone anywhere! I wasn't sure how Elsa Mariani spent her weekends, or where she went in the mall, but that didn't stop me from searching high and low for her.

After clumsily knocking over a couple of mannequins, almost running over a few toddlers, and bumping into more people than I cared to count, I saw another flash in the corner of my eye. Across the way. But that time it looked like she was purposely hiding from someone. Seeing as she discretely glanced over her shoulder and then ducked into a...bar? My eyes widened in surprise and I wasted no time in scrambling to the nearest set of stairs. Fighting descending shoppers proved to be a little difficult but once I managed to crawl back up on the other side with my legs on fire, I sucked it up and sprinted the rest of the way.

"Listen, you. I said that this bar was only for-" The giant boulder of a man growled dangerously and easily loomed over the stunned girl with malice in his rugged features.

"There you are!" I shouted breathlessly, not slowing down until my arms were wrapped protectively around her. Elsa stumbled back with a surprised squeak, but once she recognized me, she didn't hesitate to grip the back of my jacket almost hysterically. "I-I seriously take my eyes off of you for two seconds and then you're already off picking fights with someone three times your size again." I forced out a chuckle before turning her away from the guy so I could apologize. "I'm sorry sir, she's such a-"

"BENJAMIN CRESCENT JR!" The guy suddenly bellowed, making my mouth click shut. _What?_ "Well, his pipsqueak of a daughter, anyway." The huge man stepped into the light and I gasped in shock.

"Oaken Woodsworth?!"

"How are ya, baby Panda?" Oaken placed his hands on his hips languidly. "This sneaky one with you?" His reddish beard shifted into a broad smile before he brought his eyes to Elsa for a quick once-over. At that moment I was sure that I'd be in his arms if Elsa wasn't glued in mine.

"U-um, well, I've been good." I grinned widely at him before patting Elsa on the back soothingly. "And yes. She's with me." I subtly nuzzled my head into her temple, hoping she would take that as a sign that she wasn't in any sort of danger. "What are you doing here, Oak? I thought- the last I heard of you, you were stationed overseas and now I find you working outside of..." looking up to read the sign, I looked back at him with a questioning brow, "A placed called _Coyote Ugly_? A bar?"

"Hey, a job's a job, Panda." He smirked and then leaned against the wall. "And I retired a few months ago."

Oaken and my dad grew up together, graduated together and then joined the military together right after graduation. My dad was a contracted PFC because he had college credits and Oaken joined as a private and had basically joined because he liked to fight. Dad (being the more thoughtful one) got promoted to lance corporal and Oaken signed up with an open contract, which meant he would later get stuck doing jobs other people didn't like. Simply put: dad was infantry and Oaken was a grunt. Dad was an aircraft mechanic and Oaken ended up in the tank. Regardless, of it all, they were more than thrilled to just be there.

But when my mother had me, my dad instantly retired after his eighth year. Oaken on the other hand stayed in and hadn't made an appearance since his last tour. Which was a few years ago at that. Still, it didn't take away the clear invitation for a fight in the gigantic man's posture. _Still the same ole crazy guy dad talks about._

"Oh yes, I am so sorry to hear about Liza-berry by the way." Oaken pushed off the wall so he could come over to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You look a lot like her, Panda." He smiled warmly at me. The three of them had been pretty close and it was only right to see him tear up a bit at losing my mother too. _Sweet, sweet Oaken._

"Thanks, Oak." I smiled back before carefully extracting Elsa from myself so I could give him a hug too. Of course when he effortlessly scooped me up and the air began to leave my lungs, I briefly wondered if hugging him was really a good idea or not.

Mercifully, he set me down before holding me at arms length so he could take in my full height. "Okay, enough about that. How old are you, now? How's your dad? Who's this pretty girl? What grade are you?" His questions kept coming and I was quickly losing track of which question really required an answer or not.

 _Ah, forget it!_ "I turned seventeen a few weeks ago, my dad's doing much better, this is Elsa Mariani, she's a senior and I'm a junior."

"She yours?"

"Yes- what?' I instantly frowned at him, feeling my face heat up at the very plain way he'd asked it.

"Nothing, Panda. " He chuckled heartily, but then cut his eyes to my companion just as I felt her stiffen uncomfortably.

"Anna, we- I have to go." Elsa's pretty voice held a frantic chill that made me automatically tense up too.

"What's the matter?" I asked in confusion when she visibly debated on taking my hand or running off alone altogether. "Snow Paw?"

"I-I can't let her find me." Elsa then grasped my hand and tried to lead me away.

"Who?" I asked, taking a hesitant step forward. Right after asking, I flexed my jaw before tugging her back and leading her right into the shadows that Oaken had materialized out of not too long ago.

"But he-" She protested before letting out a short gasp when I kissed the corner of her mouth.

" _Shhh._ " Holding a finger to her full lips, I nudged her into the corner before crouching lower with her. "Now who are we hiding from?" I whispered.

"Excuse me, sir."

A new voice sounded that made Elsa suddenly grip my forearm tightly.

"Hi." Oaken's voice easily stood out too. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Yes. Have you seen a young girl with hair as white as snow pass by here?" The unknown woman asked breathlessly. "I literally took my eyes off my daughter for one second and now I can't find her and she's not picking up her phone."

"Sounds pretty serious. Did you two have a fight?" Oaken asked curiously. "Because I've never seen a child willingly ditch their parent at the _mall_ of all places. You know, _you're_ the one with the money, anyway." He chuckled, but even from here I could tell she hadn't liked any of his responses. It was like a chilly gust of air coming from out there.

"Do _you_ have a daughter, sir?" She suddenly asked, making me clench my jaw in uncertainty before I leaned over to try to get a look at her.

"...yes. Two daughters and a son." Oaken's happy demeanor began to fade a little and I took comfort in the hand Elsa placed in mine. _Not a good thing to ask the man._ "And I'll be damned if _any_ of them felt the need to run away from me." _Like his wife._ I breathed out harshly at that statement.

Oaken's wife had taken his kids with her when they got a divorce, slapped him with child support and no visitation rights. So it was understandable of him to nearly go off on the unsuspecting woman. It didn't help that he was _already_ suspicious of her to begin with before she even opened her mouth.

He had _seen_ Elsa's strong reaction up close and personal.

"I-I'm sorry." The woman said sincerely. From my spot, I could see a lithe figure who was covered under a burgundy beanie, a long brown coat, all along with a white scarf that gently flowed in the breeze. Her skin looked as fair and soft as Elsa's, but from her stance...she seemed a little on the aggressive side. Like she got what she wanted.

"You know, I think I saw her a few- there! Right there, coming out of Johnny Rockets." Oaken had successfully recovered and pointed the woman away.

It took me a second to remember that _Kida_ was at Johnny Rockets and the next thought of that woman catching up to her made me snicker quietly.

"Anna." Elsa whispered my name and then brought her long fingers under my chin so she could turn me around to face her. Our eyes locked then. A lump formed in my throat and in a matter of seconds, the energy around us switched to something I really couldn't decipher. I just knew that our breathing became heavier and when she raised that same hand to brush my hair out of my eyes. Those arctic blues were a burning question that I felt all too happy to answer, regardless that we were obviously huddled together beside the entrance doors of the bar.

I slowly moved forward so I could also trace my fingers over her temple. _So pretty._ I thought in a daze as concentrated pulses of sudden excitement surged from my belly and warmed through my thumping chest and limbs while I reveled in the hotness of her breath on my face. Elsa was trembling. She was _beautiful._ I almost eagerly closed in and kissed her full lips softly, allowing myself to feel their warmth, the wetness and then pulled back with a dopey smile. _The things she does to me._

There was an unknown emotion that ignited in her icy blues before she instantly swept in, closing the gap between our lips in what I could only describe as hunger. _Hungrily._ The delicious thought made me easily open into her kiss with a breathless groan as I tasted her, hungry for her velvet tongue and I was inclined to reach my shaky fingers back into her thick locks.

" _Hoo-hoo._ Big summer blow-out.'' Oaken's very smug voice appeared above us, making us practically jump away from each other with our hearts in our throats.

" _Oak!_ " I whined loudly as a full on blush captivated both of our faces at getting caught right off the bat. _I'll never hear the end of this! How stupid can I be?_ Looking at a stuttering Elsa made another idiotic grin appear on my face. _Pretty dang stupid. That's for sure._

* * *

 _A/N: Yeah! Back from a much needed vacation with big comfy beds and endless lights that disappear during the day. Not to mention a place full of cowboys and girls and long showers...and...and then right back to the cold. Greeted by Elsa's finest! -_- joyyy..._

 _Anyway, thank you for reading and such. Stay awesome you fine specimens!_

 _Tootles~_


	18. Dimmi

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _'Got to meet the hottie with the million dollar body. They say it's over budget, but you'd pay her just to touch it, come on!'_

A quick, accidental glimpse inside of that bar made me frown in question. _Is that how it always looks in bars and clubs? So Dark and Danky?_ From what I managed to see, there were a few neon beer signs scattered about with barstools lining the actual bar, but it was mostly just dark, smoky and mysterious. Oaken had informed us that it wasn't even open yet and that apparently they liked to work with the music blasting loud enough to rupture the poor eardrums of people passing by. Seriously, I could feel all the vibrations in my body.

 _'...I love the way you dance with anybody. And tease them all by sucking on your thumb. You're so much cooler when you never put it out. 'Cause you look so much cuter with something in your mouth.'_

That time my brow rose in amusement, yet I gulped a little awkwardly. _What kind of song is that?_ But I'd honestly be lying about not wanting to hear the rest of it. Too bad Oaken had already pulled me up by my arms so he could give me that stupid knowing grin of his.

"Tell me, Panda-"

"S-she had something on her face!" I cut in, trying to look away from him lest he see my apparent embarrassment. _What were we thinking?!_ It wasn't like we were alone! _But, still…_ Thinking of Elsa and all there was to her made me almost grin stupidly again. _Get it together, Anna!_

"I see." Oaken mused. "And you were being _such_ a good friend that you decided to remove it from her face with your mouth?" His tone of voice was so darn smug I wanted to kick his shin.

"How did you _not_ graduate Valedictorian?" I eventually looked back and asked with a too sweet smile on my face. Just after I asked, I immediately cried out in protest when that wall of a man reached out to pinch my cheeks pointedly. That was one thing I couldn't resist teasing him about but he didn't mind whatsoever. Of course he felt the need to put me in my place every once in a while and today just so happened to be the day. _Super._

"Okay, sassy-pants." Oaken chuckled heartily and let go so he could straighten to his full height. I glared right up at him while rubbing both of my cheeks in annoyance, all while trying to ignore the light giggles that came from Elsa. _I must look so lame right now._ My internal discerning was cut off by another question. "So, does Ben know about this?" Before I could even think to answer, he turned to ask Elsa directly. "That delightful woman was your mama, right? Does _she_ know?"

My eyes narrowed when those fetching blue eyes immediately took on a more guarded look at his non-aggressive interrogation. "Know what, exactly?" I snapped and didn't hesitate to step in front of Elsa defensively. I knew Oaken wouldn't do anything whatsoever to hurt her, but my protective instincts kicked in as they always did with her. _Nobody disrespects Elsa Mariani on my watch._

His own eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That you're…you _are_ dating, aren't you?" Hazel eyes looked from mine to hers and then back to mine in nothing but inquisitiveness.

"No, we just like the feel of the others' lips." I replied and crossed my arms with an arrogant smirk.

"Anna." Elsa's hands touched my shoulders and even though I couldn't see her, I knew she was starting to blush. Probably wanted to smack me too for being so deliberate.

"So, that means _nobody_ else knows, huh?" Oaken made another playful grab for my cheeks, but I raised my own hand and wordlessly dared him to touch me. He didn't move another inch closer.

"And we'd appreciate it greatly if you didn't say anything more until it's figured out." I said and then let out a heavy sigh, taking his hand in mine instead of hitting it like I threatened to do earlier. "I-I'm sorry, Oak. I didn't mean for our unexpected reunion to turn out like this."

The gigantic man threw his head back and chortled before squeezing my hand back so hard I thought he'd broken a few fingers in the process. "First of all: don't worry about this uncalled for reconsolidation! Ben and Liza did an awesome job raising you and you honestly wouldn't be our cute little red panda if you didn't fight for something that mattered so much to you." Looking beyond me, he gave Elsa a wink. "From the looks of it, sweetheart, the girl _does_ mean a lot to you." His hands then came up to cup my shoulders. "And secondly: what's there to figure out? You both obviously have a thing for each other so…why not just ask her?"

My face had grown so warm that I felt like all of outer space could see my furious blush. _S-stupid giant!_ But his last words made me hesitate long enough of my embarrassment to try to digest what he'd said. Still partly confused, I gulped audibly and wavered my somewhat secure gaze into his eyes to glance to the side. _It's that easy?_

"Oaken. Boss wants to see you." Another deep voice presented itself over the blast of a newer song that was playing in the background. Instead of answering any of the big man's questions, we all turned to see an equally huge, scruffy guy with sunglasses hanging out of the double doors. Now, when I saw _him_ I figured that the place was more than just a simple bar. _A club maybe? It's gotta be a club._

"Be right there." Oaken sighed too, but didn't hesitate to wrap me up in another hug. "I'll see you later, Panda." After setting me down so I could gasp for air again, he held out a meaty hand to Elsa who visibly gulped at its mass. I didn't blame her. My dad's best friend looked like he should compete in the top body building contests in the country. Beast. "A pleasure to meet you, friend of Anna." His deep voice rumbled. Of course, his opposite goofy demeanor could throw anyone for a loop. Truly a man of steel with a heart of gold.

Elsa smoothed over her slight wince at the grip of his hand and met him with a dazzling smile of her own. Even _I_ couldn't tell if it was fake or not. "Elsa Mariani. It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Woodsworth and thank you for not ratting me out."

"Hey, don't mention it, little lady. Any friend of Anna's is a friend of mine and I'm also sorry for scaring you at first." Oaken chuckled sheepishly. "Just promise me you won't try hiding in another club when running away." With a last wink at both of us, he retreated back into the darkness of _Coyote Ugly._

* * *

"That was interesting." Elsa commented quietly after we rounded the corner.

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd be seeing him anytime soon." Grinning to myself, I added under my breath, "Just wait till I tell dad about where he works."

"What's that?" Elsa leaned closer as a group of people tried to squeeze by us like they owned the entire walkway.

"Oh, nothing." I smirked but froze when a feminine voice called out from across the mall.

"ELSA!"

Said girl's shoulders stiffened uncomfortably again. _Great._ Thinking quickly, I yanked the beanie from my head and pulled it down over hers before taking her hand. An unfinished question got cut from her mouth as I took the lead and lead her to the nearest set of stairs. It didn't help that her mother was _also_ on the second floor, so by the time we got to the last step, she had too and was already starting a brisk walk toward us.

Gritting my teeth to keep from saying anything, I hurriedly tugged Elsa along and made a mad dash for the next place I knew where we could get either find another hiding spot, or at least enough time to make our total escape. We almost expertly weaved, dipped and dodged through the many oblivious people enjoying their weekend at the mall until the familiar purple glow of the _Djali's_ sign came into view. _Finally!_

Bursting through the door, I ran straight into Esmeralda's chest.

I only knew that because the woman was taller than I and I could actually feel her heart start racing since I was already hyped up on adrenaline. "Wha- whoa-" She let out an awkward chuckle and once she finally recognized me, she patted my head delicately. "Normally, I'd say 'buy me a drink first,' but since it's _you_ , my dear redhead...I'll make an exception." Her voice held a very inviting lilt that would have swayed anyone. Not me.

"E-Emmie!" I leapt backwards with my face on fire, but I still managed to glare at her.

"What? I'm only joking, _Annalicious."_ Emerald eyes glimmered with friskiness and it didn't help that she winked immediately after. _Darn you._ I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end when she placed a hand on her hip, not bothering to back away. Or stop, if anything.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Not a chance." She smirked and then finally looked behind me. "Oh, hello again." Her playful smirk suddenly turned into a friendly one as she addressed my companion. "Elsa, right?"

" _Right_." Elsa partly hissed. If I wasn't paying close attention, I would have missed the almost subtle way she tightened her grip on my hand.

"Look Em, we need some cover because we're running from a flesh-hungry zombie." I tried to make it sound more amusing, but realized all too late that I might have unintentionally referred to Elsa's mom a zombie. _Oops._

Esmeralda didn't even miss a beat. "Aw, is Toff trying to bash your heads in for trying to get him to talk to sweet little Sen again?"

Rolling my eyes, I blew my bangs out of the way. "No. _Why_ does everyone suspect it's Kristoff right- wait, do you- can we hide here or not?" I cut to the chase and asked instead when I felt the warmth of Elsa stepping closer to me. Just then, Esmeralda's eyes darted behind us and then widened.

"Kitchen. Go!" She seemed to finally get it and practically shoved me in that direction scant seconds before the front door opened again.

That time, I didn't bother to listen in as we frantically skidded around the corner and ended up just inside the kitchen doors. _Good thing I'm in shape_. I couldn't help but think as I let out a sharp breathless chuckle and after pushing my free hand through my hair, I lazily leaned back against the wall. The aroma of fries, chocolate, cake and a ton of other yummy additions filled the air along with the clinking, sizzling, and shouts that came with a kitchen diner. Which reminded me that I hadn't even eaten yet.

My sudden hunger reminded me that I was there with the girl of my dreams. _Forgetful much?_

"So, can I ask why you're- _we're-_ " I nibbled on my lip for a short second and then decided to bite the bullet, "hiding from your mom?" When I looked at Elsa, she wasn't even facing me. She may have still been holding my hand, but her closed off body language made it seem like she was...mad. _Mad? Why?_ Before I could react, she even let my hand go and turned her back to me and tried to seem interested in what was happening outside the little window in the door. "Elsa?" I asked carefully once all her walls seemed to go up.

Stepping closer to her, I hesitantly brought my hand up to place it on her shoulder. _Whoa she's really tense!_ "Hey." I slid the same hand over her tight shoulder blades and without thinking, leaned in to kiss her other shoulder. The guileless action made her stiffen up more, which I didn't know was possible, so I ended up taking a cautious step back. _What? Why is she-_ I frowned in confusion. _Is she jealous?_ The thought was possible, but also a little unrealistic in my eyes. Why? Mostly because I was...still under the impression that she and I- _argh! I'm dreaming again, aren't I?_

Growling under my breath, I pushed both my hands through my hair and lightly banged my head against the wall I'd been leaning on. "Can-" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Is this because of something I did?" I honestly had no real idea what set her off, but I wasn't going to pretend that whatever it was that was bothering her didn't exist. And did I need to make it about me? _What if it's about her?_ Thinking over what had transpired recently, I turned to her again with a set jaw. "It's Esmeralda, isn't it?"

"She has a nickname for you." Elsa glanced brokenly at me before getting out of the way so the waiters and waitresses could get in and out of the kitchen again. "You even have-" Before Elsa could finish, I took her hand and lead her through the rest of the kitchen so we could get to the ally. Even then, I didn't stop until we were away from the dumpsters and in a more secluded area of the mall. When even _that_ wasn't good enough, I continued to pull her into a half finished store front, not caring if we'd get in trouble or not. I just needed to try to get her to talk to me without feeling more insecure than she already was.

"I'm sorry." I whispered when we both stopped and without bothering to let go of her hand. "But, I-I'll have you know that she has a fiancé and would _never_ try to do anything to, or with me. Seriously, she's like twenty-five or something." I stifled a chuckle.

"She's attractive."

"So are you." I shot back. "I-I mean, yes, she's got- well, I won't spend time highlighting certain things that people comment to her on-" I coughed a little awkwardly since we were blatantly talking about an unsuspecting woman that was older than we were, but decided not to dwell on that part. "But I can safely say that she's _not_ my type." Admitting that, I turned her hand over so I could watch both of my thumbs rub against her knuckles. There was another small scar on her first knuckle that I hadn't noticed before.

"What _is_ your type, Anna?" Elsa gingerly took her hand back and crossed her arms. When I looked up, she avoided my gaze. _Huh. Okay then._ I took a deep breath and straightened up in case she wanted to look back at me anytime soon.

"Elsa Mariani." I replied instantly with a ridiculous grin. I had the sweet pleasure of seeing her eyes dart to me before shooting back away. "You _know.._ " I drawled playfully and stepped forward again, trying to get her attention. "Completely adorable, has deep gorgeous eyes that shine like the brightest stars in the night sky, tries and fails to hide what she's really feeling, drives a classy beetle, kisses like a sunny afternoon out there on the water, has these barely visible freckles that nobody gets to see because she won't let them get that close..." My heart instantly swelled with warmth and it made a bigger lovesick smile stretch across my face. _Wow._

Slightly watery blue eyes met unwavering teal.

 _"Sei il mio eroe."_ Elsa let out a quiet giggle before turning all the way around to me so she could wrap her arms around my waist. As her sweet lips touched mine, I felt my toes curl. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids and I positively melted into her firm hold. My own arms came up to wrap around her shoulders just as decisively.

The kiss we shared was hard, yet forgiving; scorching, yet adoring. It was chockfull with desire, but also curiosity and it made me understand that that every kiss should come gift-wrapped. Not stripped naked. And as she leaned back for much needed air and we made a soul-telling eye-contact, I immediately found that I wanted another kiss. Exactly like this one.

Elsa Mariani didn't disappoint.

* * *

Back at school.

 _Oak: Hey Panda. What's Ben's number?_

I rolled my eyes at the text on my screen. _Guess I forgot to give it to him._ As my fingers flew over the screen with the correct number and a witty comment, something else flew across my peripheral vision, making me yelp in surprise and jump to the side. Kida let out a disapproving grunt and before I could apologize to her, I heard a chilling _splash_ behind me. There was even a presence of something cold on the back of my neck that told me that it had been some sort of liquid.

We both turned around to find an unrecognizable girl standing frozen in shock while a purple substance dibbled down her face.

"What-" I began to ask when she suddenly opened her eyes to stare at me in betrayal.

"W-why would you do that?" She asked brokenly.

"Me?" I pointed at myself in utter confusion. "I-I didn't-" The girl didn't let me finish and started crying before she pushed by me to run to the restroom. Staring after her in disbelief for a second, I snapped my head back to an equally surprised Kida. "What the heck happened?"

"You got me." She shrugged. "Olaf was asking me if I was free to help him with his lines later."

Glancing at my phone, I frowned quizzically at it like it was the sole cause. "And _I_ was responding to-"

"Crescent! Don't think I didn't see that!" Coach appeared out of nowhere and placed a sturdy hand on my shoulder so I wouldn't run off.

"See what?" I asked skeptically, eyeing his hand. "I didn't _do_ anything."

"It's true, Smoot. Anna didn't do anything." Kida came to my defense, making him narrow his eyes at both of us.

"I know a troublemaker like you would think of something like this. _Slushies'_!" He bellowed incredulously before leaning down to pick up a rather large empty cup that was settled in purple liquid at my feet. _What?_ Around us, students paused to look on before skittering off down the hall when we all glared at them.

Composing myself, I popped my neck and looked from the cup in his hands to dark, piercing eyes. "While I admit that a slushy to the face _is_ pretty genius-"

"What?!" Coach leaned into my personal space. I never wanted to head-butt anybody as much I did in that moment, but I held my ground.

"What?" I crossed my arms aggressively. "It is an awesome idea, but I. Didn't. Do. It." Came more of a growl through my teeth than a response.

"I _know_ it was you." He seethed, nose flaring in nastiness.

"Have you proof, good sir?" I didn't hesitate to bare my teeth at him, but also to keep from out-right gagging at the smell wafting off of him. _Man, he needs a shower ASAP!_ But, honestly I was a little flattered he thought I was clever enough to come up with an awesome prank like that.

"When I catch you, loudmouth. You'll be expelled." With that delightful note, he stormed off down the hall, smashing the poor cup into the trashcan while he was at it.

"Wow! He's such an a-hole!" Kida huffed and then wrapped a comforting arm around me. "You okay?"

"Fantastic." I grinned at her before searching around to see if I could find the culprit.

No such luck.

" _Tsk."_ I flexed my jaw and finally finished my reply to Oaken. _Thanks you brick wall. Because of you I got in trouble. Kidding._


	19. Grape Flavored Girls

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Taking a deep breath, I instantly pictured every single person in the room in their underwear. It had been Kida's ultimate advice when I told her I didn't particularly like public speaking, but I found myself trying to stifle a hysterical chuckle at some of the images I saw a few of my classmates in. Such as: Kristoff in a purple _Power Rangers_ sleeping shirt with heart boxers. Flynn in nothing but _Superman_ briefs. Merida in a leopard print nightgown. Hiccup in tight-y whiteys... _Umm, this isn't working!_

"Is there a problem, miss Crescent?" The teacher asked when I coughed to keep myself from giggling like an immature child.

I snapped my head back up to address her. "No. I was just thinking that I hadn't watched _Teen Titans Go!_ in forever _._ " Clearing my throat and hopefully my mind, I then held my paper up right in front of my face so I could ignore the curious stares other students were undoubtedly giving me and began to read.

 _Olivia._

 _Perfect. You seem like it._  
 _A total dream come true._  
 _You and your magnificent, dark hair. Big guiltless sapphire eyes._  
 _Lips that resemble Cupid's bow._  
 _A smile to die for._  
 _But it is a disguise._  
 _You bask in the adulation of those around you._  
 _You fall in love with everybody and nobody._  
 _They claim their love, but it's all a mistake._  
 _My love, I stand here._  
 _Another victim, unbeknownst to myself._  
 _Your never ending lies flatter me. Delight me._  
 _They shoot me straight to the moon and back in a dizzying blur._  
 _Blindly, I take your hand. I taste your poisonous full lips._  
 _Stupidly, I think I am immune and therefore will win your absolute affection._  
 _This is my mistake and mine alone._  
 _Like numerous others, You discard me._  
 _Desperately, I reach out to your heart. But I can't feel it. Can't hear it._  
 _Because it's not there._  
 _You frivolously shake me off and I am entirely devastated._  
 _Yet, you smile victoriously._  
 _I've lost. Tossed out with the other fatalities._  
 _My love. Why must you torture me so?_

With that finally over, I breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back into my seat without looking at anyone so I could scrutinize what I'd written again. _Yeah. It could use some improvement._ Seriously, even my unfortunate sheet of paper looked like a battlefield of doodles, eraser marks, crossed out words and a couple of ink blots because my pen broke on me earlier. It only looked that way because I'd forgotten all about our weekend book report assignment and had written the thing as quickly as I could before school started. Through a speedy car ride and all.

"Very nice, Miss Crescent." The teacher finished her own notes before giving me an encouraging smile.

"Excuse us, Ms. Rivera?" A particular smooth voice interrupted my response and the next kid who had just stood up, making us all stop to look at the door.

My heart immediately fluttered at seeing the immaculate and extremely gorgeous student council president standing gracefully in the doorway. With Hans Marsden leading the way by addressing the teacher with all his charm. I had to wonder if he was _always_ like that, or if it was nothing more than an outrageous façade. For one: I didn't know any other eighteen-year old boy with _that_ much charisma. It was a little weird to say in the least.

"May we have a word with Mr. Sparrow?" Hans asked with as much sophistication as a well-groomed prince from some island across the way. While he was talking, Elsa's carefully guarded eyes swept around the room before landing directly on mine. At once, her alluring face twitched in the slightest with a smile, but then she snapped her eyes behind me to the one who stood up abruptly.

"I will henceforth be known as _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." Said boy slurred lightly and ended up stopping to lean heavily against me on his way to the front of the classroom. "Hi." His rum-flavored breath hit my nose then, making me cringe in disgust.

"Jack, are you drunk?" I had to ask and even pressed my hand against his face to push him away from me. _Ugh! Gross!_

"Ineed!" He bleated, before frowning at his own answer. "I mean _Indeed_! There was this _sweet_ party last night at the Abernathy's and I had this brilliantly stupid idea that I'd stay up for the rest of the night and show up like this!" Jack grinned widely, showing off his faux gold tooth. "By the way, Alexandra-

" _Anna."_ I corrected.

"Whatever." He waved me off. "Was that paper written about someone at _this_ school?"

"No, Jack." I huffed and instead, stood up to escort him the rest of the way since he didn't seem to want to. "It was about a woman named Olivia in a _book_ I've read at least three times this year." I just hadn't thought to write a report on it before and since I hadn't read anything lately, I decided to put my photographic memory to use.

Jack hummed and then tried to whisper into my ear. "You have a nice voice, Anastasia-"

" _Anna._ " I rolled my eyes, leaned away from his unappealing mouth, and then jabbed my thumb over my shoulder to another redhead. " _That's_ Anastasia."

"And I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" He chuckled loudly and then slung his arm over my shoulder. "What's the book called? I wanna read about that cold-hearted woman. She sounds pretty."

"She broke someone's heart." I stated.

"Sounds like _my_ kind of woman." Jack nudged me like I knew exactly what he was talking about and I had to force out a laugh, lest he say something else stupid.

"Sure, Cap." I sent him half a smile before dumping him into Hans' unsuspecting arms. While the taller one attempted to steady Jack, I shot a lopsided grin at him that basically said ' _sorry, not sorry'_ before answering Jack's earlier question. "And the title of that book is _Love and_ _-"_

"She called me Cap!" The dark-haired boy declared and pushed off Hans to beam drunkenly back at me. "You called me Cap! I didn't think that would catch on!"

"It hasn't." I growled and crossed my arms before shrugging at Hans, who was shaking his head. Off to the side I saw Elsa stealthily roll her own eyes as her arms crossed too. I also didn't miss the light mirth that danced around in her eyes at seeing me attempt to reason with someone so out of it.

"Alright, Mr. Pirate." Hans tutted soothingly, clapping his hands back on both of Jack's shoulders so he could lead him the rest of the way out of the classroom. "Let's go talk about your suspension for blatant drunkenness on school grounds. Possibly a fine since you're eighteen-"

" _You're_ drunk Han Solo." Jack threw his head back and laughed his own idiotic intelligence as they all but stumbled out into the hall.

 _Seriously. Nobody knew he was plastered? I didn't even know!_ Before I could actually begin to think about it, I caught Elsa's arctic blues. It was a split-second, but that second was enough for me to send a quick, secret wink her way. Those hypnotic eyes widened just the tiniest bit and I swear her mask almost cracked with a shy smile as she quickly turned to follow behind Hans and Jack. _Cute._ With an inward smirk, I made my way back to my seat.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Rivera." Hans poked his head back in and then gestured around the room. "Please continue." He gave us an award-winning smile before straightening his tie and I swear half the room sighed like love-struck fools. I snorted to myself, picking up my pencil so I could make a few notes on the new paper I would eventually turn in. But before I had the chance to look away, hazel eyes caught mine. Hans Marsden made sure that I noticed him so he could wink at me too.

And then he was gone.

 _Huh?_

* * *

Lunch.

"Okay, do you mind telling me _what_ the heck that was?!" Kida and Kristoff asked at the same time, making me stop mid-bite through my sandwich so I could frown at them. It amazed me that they were able to say the exact same words as the other.

" _What?_ " I asked with my mouth full.

"What do you mean ' _what'?_ Is that Hans character bothering you?" Kristoff leaned over, glaring, doubling in size and nearly freaking poor Olaf out of his seat. On the other hand, I was completely unfazed. Even when Kristoff made it a point to pop his knuckles menacingly.

"N-no. He's a sweetheart." Olaf answered impulsively.

"Not you, O." Kida rolled her eyes and then looked right back at me. "I thought you were with- I-I mean, I thought you didn't like him." Luckily she caught herself, but that didn't smooth over the disappointment in her eyes.

"I don't." I made sure to keep a straight face and shrugged after swallowing the partly chewed food in my mouth. "Maybe it was meant for _you_." I had to joke since they were already _way_ too serious about something that meant absolutely nothing to me. Seriously, it was _Hans._ The guy was nice and charming and all, but he didn't appeal to me whatsoever.

"Wait, what happened with Hans?" Olaf asked, fully intrigued now.

I set my lunch down and finally began to think about what transpired earlier. Of course, I had to try to get them off topic too so they wouldn't get me more confused than I was already becoming. " _Why_ is no one talking about the fact that Jack showed up drunk today?" I looked from Kristoff to Kida, fighting off a scowl.

 _What was his deal, anyway?_ After Hans left, I'd had to actually turn around in my seat to see if he really had directed that wink at me. I mean, Kida was the only other girl sitting behind me, but she'd been too busy doodling all over her assignment paper. After class was when she told me that she saw it too and apparently, Kristoff had witnessed the whole thing. It had all of us stumped.

"Oh, Jack always smells like that. I have him in three other classes." Kida waved me off. "Honestly, I think that was his second suspension. Anyway, back to it!" Sky blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. Along with Olaf and Kristoff. I fought the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose as anxiety and frustration began to simmer under my skin.

"Look, I have no idea why Hans winked at me." I admitted truthfully before stuffing my mouth once more. _There's no way I'm letting_ _this goodness go to waste._

"Maybe he likes you. What's wrong with that?" Olaf commented while trying to open his expensive looking thermos. He'd taken to drinking hot herbal tea with a hint of lemon and even informed us that he would be taking an oath of silence for the last three days leading up to the play. Talk about dedication!

" _Everything._ " Kida and I stated together.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a douche-canoe." Kristoff wrinkled his nose and then leaned in to whisper. "I heard once that he convinced this poor freshmen last year to go out with him, only to break her heart and leave her out to dry because they didn't win prom king and queen."

"So he seduced her, huh?" Olaf whispered back, making Kristoff nod in whole agreement.

"You know, that sounds a lot like your paper this morning, Anna." Kida snickered. "You sure the title wasn't supposed to be _Hans_ and not _Olivia_?"

"Who's Olivia?" Olaf asked again, making all of us groan in exasperation.

"You have _really_ got to keep up-" Kida smacked his hand to stop him from fiddling with the thermos. "Stop being so distracted all the time."

"No, go right ahead, buddy." I smiled sweetly at him. "Give me a break from talking about me, for once." Reaching over, I easily opened his thermos for him before stealing a sip and then giving it back to him.

"We only talk about you because you're so busy all the time too." Kristoff interjected after taking a bite out of his own leftover burger from what appeared to be Johnny Rockets.

"And what about you and Sen, huh?" I couldn't help but lean over to poke his steadily flushing cheek. "What about you two running lines?" I gestured to Olaf and Kida.

At once, they all began talking about themselves and _I_ went back to enjoying what my dad had brilliantly made up the night before in peace. Again, it looked odd, but the taste was something else entirely. Delicious.

Just as I took another savory bite, I saw someone running across the quad in my peripheral vision. As much as I didn't want to, my eyes automatically lifted and beheld a familiar, yet unfamiliar girl. Covered in a purple slushy.

"...so then I was like- hey, Anna. Where are you going?" Olaf was in the middle of a story, but my legs were already moving on their own.

"H-hey!" I called out to the retreating girl. When she didn't answer, or even turn around, I continued to try to catch up with her. "Wait up!" I followed her all the way into the school, down the halls and finally to the outside of the restroom. Instead of barging in after her, I let the door close and stood there for a moment more.

That same poor girl had been slushied two more times within a close proximity of me, so I had to wonder if someone was trying to set me up or not. Only _this_ time, I was nowhere near her and since I wasn't paying attention (again) I didn't get to see who the jerk-wad was. Whoever it was, they were sneaky. All the same, I wanted to get to the bottom of it and if talking to the girl would help in anyway, I was all for it. Popping my neck, I straightened up and readjusted my hoodie before eventually pushing the door open.

I immediately witnessed other girls that were huddled around the only closed stall, jeering at it like the lame people they were.

"Hey." I flexed my jaw before bashing my fist into the nearest stall door. The loud _bang_ made the girls freeze and they all snapped their heads around to look at me. Glaring at them, I took and aggressive stance, daring them to try anything else. "Beat it." I growled dangerously.

Without a second to lose, they instantly skittered out of there, brushing past me in the process. On the way out, I couldn't help but notice one in particular. It was indeed the same one who was walking with Ariel that day she tripped me. My still bandaged nose suddenly felt a pinch, but before I could call her out, the door had already closed again. _Too bad I don't care to learn Simmons' stupid henchmen's names._

Quiet sobbing grabbed my attention right after that thought.

Licking my dry lips, I took a hesitant step forward. "Are...are you okay in there?"

"Go away." Her broken voice answered before she sniffled. A part of me wanted to do just that, because I felt I was only good consoling certain people. Not a stranger. But, the girl was a stranger that was being bullied. Not only that, but whoever was doing that had clearly been trying to pin it on _me_.

I cleared my throat and lifted my hand up to knock at the door. "At least let me help you clean up a bit."

"Why?" She sniffled again.

"Because the grape flavored slushy is pretty gross. I would know, I tried it the other day." I answered and shrugged to myself.

"So it was you."

"No." I rolled my eyes, turning around so I could see my reflection. The redhead looked as exasperated as I felt. "If anything, I would definitely slushy someone with blue raspberry. Know why?" I asked, but didn't expect a reply, so I answered anyway. "Then you could look like something from _Avatar!_ That'd be funny and awesome, right?" Eyeing my stupid smile, I couldn't help but notice the way I looked with the Band-Aid still on my nose. Surprisingly tough. _If that's a thing._

"Nothing about getting slushied is funny or awesome." She muttered unhappily.

Those mirrored teal eyes widened in realization. "B-bad joke." I face-palmed. "Sorry." Nibbling on my lip, I continued. "You know it wasn't me, right? I-I mean, I know I'm not exactly a straight-A student. Or the image of a perfect one. But I wouldn't do something like this."

When she didn't answer, I leaned against the stall door. "Think about it. If _I_ was the one bullying you, would I really be here offering my help to get junk out of your hair that I personally put there?" Blowing my bangs out of my eyes, I continued. "Yeah, I can be mean. I can start fights and finish them. But I _wouldn't_ douse anybody in a chilly flavored drink because I simply felt like it. Especially someone I didn't even know."

The door suddenly opened and if I wasn't prepared for it, I would have undoubtedly fell back and crushed the poor girl. She was smaller than I was. And covered in purple syrup.

"Hi." I said before gesturing to the sink.

"My name is Fallon." She squeaked.

"Anna." I grinned at her.

* * *

Instead of washing her hair out in the bathroom sink, I offered to walk her to the girls' locker room so she could use the shower there instead. While she was in there, I took the liberty of lending her one of my uniform shirts. I normally had an extra one for no particular reason other than preparation. (A habit my mother drove into me after the first time I got my entire white shirt wet during a foam party.) But if I was right, then she definitely had one of the school designated vests to wear over it.

"So, Fallon." I drawled and leaned against the doorway with my back turned to her. "That's a pretty name."

"It's my mom's middle name." She answered more comfortably than before.

Deciding not to beat around the bush anymore, I decided to forge ahead. "So why would anyone want to mess around with someone like you?"

"Oh. No reason."

"That's a lie." I shot back and looked to the side so she'd hear my voice better. "What'd you do to set Miss Simmons off?" After seeing that one girl in particular, I had no choice but to explore the possibilities of her expanding to other people than me.

"Who said it was Ariel that's picking on me?" She asked after shutting the water off.

"Well, you seem to know her on a first-name basis."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"I can make assumptions."

"You'd be wrong."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I unfolded from the doorway so I could hand her the shirt. Luckily there was a wall tall enough between us that only let me see her head and as she took it, she smiled gratefully at me. I forced myself to return her smile before turning back around. If she didn't want to talk about it, I wouldn't pressure her. It was bad enough that she'd been drenched in cold liquid three times this week alone and I didn't want to imagine what else was in store for her if it really _was_ Ariel that was bullying her.

"I can walk you to your next class if you want." I suggested once she walked by me to toss the towel into the hamper. Instead of answering _okay_ or _no_ , she spun on her heal to face me with the biggest deer-in-the-headlights look I'd ever seen.

"Ariel cheated on Eric with me." Fallon declared in a harsh whisper.

My jaw immediately dropped to the floor.

* * *

 _A/N: Buon Natale. Shinnen omedeto. God Jul. Feliz Navidad. Chuc Mung Giang Sinh. Feliz Natal. Srozhdestovm Kristovim. Sung Tan Chuk Ha. Mele Kalikimaka. Froehliche Weihnachten. Merry Christmas! ^_^_

 _By the way, if anyone knows or has read about, the aforementioned Olivia and the book she appears in...my beanie's off to you. (I actually DID read that book about three times.) *smirks*_

 _An-tyways, Tootles~_

 _P.S. Have an awesome holiday- winter break? y'all and thanks for reading!_


	20. My Confusion Her Clarity

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It started with a look.

 _Smack!_

My fists clenched together, instantly shooting straight up under her chin, making clean contact and her head snap upwards. She doubled back, but managed to stay on her feet and as I ran at her, she suddenly grabbed the front of my jacket. I got to see the insane frenzy in her eyes when she forcefully yanked me forward and bashed her knee right into my stomach. I winced in pain, but easily jumped back to thrust my fist directly into the side of her face. Blood spewed out of her mouth as her head snapped away from me and I saw tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

I couldn't care less.

Again, my fist made contact with the other side of her face and that time she finally lost her balance. As soon as she hit the floor, I was already straddling her stomach and clenching one hand in her shirt while my other fist raised to start pounding her face in. Both of my hands stung from the numerous hits. My stomach burned where she kneed me. My nose was bleeding. We were both breathing heavily in eachother's faces when strong arms immediately presented themselves under my arms and yanked me back.

"Anna, cut it out!" Kida somehow managed to pull me away.

"LET ME GO!" Ariel screamed wildly, having been coming right back at me again when Kristoff locked his bulky arms around her too.

"You're a coward, Simmons!" I snarled, so ready to shake Kida off of me so I could continue beating her up. "You have _no_ right spreading stupid rumors about her when you don't even _know_ her." I felt a wildfire brimming just below my skin and I was sure steam was rolling off my body in waves. "Just because you can't face your own obvious feelings doesn't mean you get to take it out on someone who's done absolutely NOTHING to you!" Straining against Kida's grip, I almost got out when Olaf put himself infront of me.

"C-calm down, Anna." He pleaded meekly while gently taking hold of my shoulders, trying to make me look into his frantic puppy eyes.

"At least I'm not a violent psychopath!" Ariel snapped. Her usual neat, vibrant, red hair was feral looking and just plain all over her face. I swear she could have scared the _Undertaker._ "What the hell makes you think you're so freaking special?!" Free tears were now streaming out of her undarkened eye while the other began to get swollen, but that didn't stop her from trying to escape Kristoff's hold. "If _she's_ so special, how come she isn't here defending her own honor? Why send a delinquet like you?! Or are you just an evil henchman for that huge bi-"

 _That's it!_ I didn't waste another second and virtually ran over Olaf to get one last punch to her already messed up face before stronger arms literally picked me up off the floor and hauled me over a broad shoulder.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!" Coach nearly busted my eardrum.

"She started it!" I shouted from over his shoulder. My own tears stung at my eyes when I thought of just _how_ broken Elsa looked when I found her on the roof earlier. (This was all currently happening because of it.)

 _No one disrepects Elsa Mariani on my watch._

Turns out that Ariel wasn't only picking on Fallon because she had secret feelings for the smaller girl, but she was also effortlessly slicing throught Elsa's defences while she was at it. I mean, Elsa was already trying very hard to deal with home and school problems alike and that stupid redhead had to go around spreading awful rumors about her being depressed. And since her defences were a little more frail than normal, Ariel got to her on a personal level. Those included, telling lies about her home life; that her dad beat her mom and her, that she wouldn't ever find love because she was so damaged, that she threw temper tantrums and then blawed her eyes out when no one was around.

She only added me in the mix because I was brave enough to confront her about Fallon. But that was as much as I knew about the whole thing.

It definitely hurt, all of it, but my tears refused to fall. I was much too angry. "She has no business giving voice to personal problems!"

"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT ELSA MARIANI?!" Ariel screamed.

Finally, my anger completely blew over and I couldn't help myself anymore. "BECAUSE SHE'S _MINE!_ " My voice echoed throughout the room and I was pretty sure it resounded all around the whole school. "You don't get to insult _my_ territory!" I spat.

The silence that followed was one that spoke a thousand words that I never got to hear.

* * *

Home.

 _"You. Were. What!?"_ My dad bellowed at me through the phone, making me yank the phone away from my sore ear.

"...suspended." I grumbled into the phone's microphone, taking care to keep it away from my face, lest he smack me through the screen.

 _"For how long?"_ He huffed with barely hidden disappointment.

"Two weeks." I cringed.

 _Click._

* * *

Garage. One day later.

My eyes easily located the bolt right before my hands set to work so I could release it from it's spot. Once that was done, I took the turn signals out and replaced them with the newer one. Hopefully the new one would follow the same route as the old one, otherwise that meant I did it wrong.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Petro's gentle voice floated into my ear as his hands appeared to help me properly connect the signals to the correct slots.

I didn't even look at him. "It's not like I'm angry at the world." Luckily there was a box connector so we didn't have to do it manually and when they were connected, I stood up to turn the bike on so we could see if the signals worked or not. "Well... _one_ person at least, but that doesn't mean anything anymore." I answered heartlessly and then sighed. "I'm over it."

"So says the bandages you keep showing up with." He snorted.

My jaw clenched and I smacked my hand down on the head. "Hey, when some stupid idiot makes the one you care deeply about, _cry_. Like with the tears and the hurt, you can't just sit there and let her get away with it. Can you?" I glared at him before directing my heated gaze elsewhere. "That's where _these_ are coming from." I pointed at the bandages on my nose and cheek. There was even one wrapped around my hand.

"So...you defended your...friend's honor?" Petro frowned at me. "We're talking about Miss Elsa now, right?"

"What, are you going to call me a fool too?" I asked bitterly. Hearing that phrase from Kida, Olaf, Kristoff, Alice, basically _all_ of the people I thought were my friends (Elsa and my dad included) made me want to tear my hair out.

Instead of doing something reckless like that, I finally met up with and took that ride with Esmeralda the other night. We drove around for hours while I had my arms wrapped firmly around her slim torso. When she got tired of driving, she let me take over and would sit behind me so she could coach me. All of her praise and encouraging words had fallen on my hot ears in chilling breaths; causing me to shiver in something that I hated to call: _pleasure._

It was such a strange feeling for me, that I ended up quickly turning around and driving back to Arendelle County, lest I do somrhing stupid. Like try to find whatever comfort I could in an older, painfully attractive, and _engaged_ woman.

Either way, I got home late and then left the next morning before my dad even thought about waking up. Danny found me sitting dejectedly in front of the garage and let me in without another word. Since then, I'd secluded myself in the corner so I could work on trying to complete my bike.

"I could." Petro nodded, but then instantly placed his hand on my shoulder when I turned to walk away from him. "B-but I'm not going to because-" He tried to reason. I didn't want to hear it.

"Why not?" I barked and slapped his oily hand away from me. "It _was_ stupid of me to beat the crap out of someone who went spilling rumors about problems that weren't even mine."

"You protected her." Petro cut in, placing both of his hands back on my shoulders so he could turn me to face him. " _You_ fought for her and screw them all if they think that wasn't at all romantic."

I scoffed, not realizing how confused I was until that point. "B-but she-"

"Doesn't understand that yet." He sighed and then began rubbing circles in my shoulders in a soothing motion. "She's afraid, is all."

Sighing more dejectedly than before, I shook him off and curled my arms around myself defensively. "Do you think I don't know that, Petro?" I sighed. Honestly, i wasn't ready to tell him that it still hurt to see just _how_ afraid Elsa was when she chewed me out for knocking Ariel Simmons' block off. After she did that, it was _her_ that ran away from me that time because she didn't want to be the one to suspend me for two weeks. So, Weselton was the one to tell me to 'go home' in a completely disappointed tone.

"I'm not afraid of heights, just the fall. No one fears the dark, only what's in it." I sniffled suddenly, finally feeling some of the pent up tears bubble over. "A-and no one is afraid of falling in love. They're only afraid of not being loved back."]

Petro's strong arms wrapped securely around me while I did my best not to cry like a two-year old.

* * *

Next day. Djali's

"Have you been sleeping correctly, Anna?" The pretty, dark-haired woman put her notebook in her pocket and slid into the booth across from me with heavily concerned eyes. "You're starting to make me worry about you, dear."

"I'm fine." I sighed, pushing my untouched coffee away so I could breathe in some fresh air. Coffee never appealed to me before and I had no idea why I tried to drink cup then.

Maybe because of the fact that iIt had been about a week without any real communication between my friends and I. I couldn't even attend Olaf's much anticipated play and he felt the need to get mad at _me_ for it. That hurt. Even Kida kept her mouth shut and I had _no_ idea _why_ they were treating me that way.

Eventually they had tried to come around individually, but by then I wasn't even up for talking without feeling like a complete idiot around them. _Did I really mess it up so bad?_ I was aware that I'd blurted to the whole school that Elsa was mine, but really? Was that a good enough reason for her to avoid me? All of them to suddenly look down on me?

"You know bottling all this junk in is going to destroy you from the inside out." Esmeralda's slightly calloused hand closed over mine, making me sigh resignedly and practically slump over the table in defeat.

"My niceness has a tendency to wear out every once in awhile." I growled after placing my forehead on the table. "My feelings have limits."

"I know that, silly girl." Esmeralda giggled lightly and that time skirted around the table to join me on my side so she could wrap her arms around me. "But someone once said: the more anger towards the _past_ you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present."

So I had no choice but to tell her everything.

It was silent for a few minutes more as she pondered her next words. "You know: love isn't about ' _it's your fault'_ or, _'it's her fault.'_ It's about being able to say _'I'm sorry.'_ " Her gentle smile broke through my watery eyes. "Not ' _where are you?'_ but, _'I'm right here.'_ "

"But...I _am_ here." I wiped my eyes angrily. "I mean, what sort of relationship is it when there's only _one_ person seemingly pulling the weight?" Thinking about it, I didn't have the strength to even try to defend her. Elsa had a lot going on without _me_ adding to all the chaos. She didn't need it. Me. Right? All I did was make her see; let her know that...

"So end it, biker buddy." Esmeralda's blunt words sliced right through me, causing me to sit up straight and stare in shock at her.

"What? Why?" I frowned.

Bright green eyes left mine to look pointedly around the café. "Well, I don't _see_ little miss pretty lady around. Do you?" She drawled. "Face it, Anna. She can't blame you for walking away if she didn't do anything to make you stay." She sent a small grin my way before leaning in to place a meaningful kiss to my cheek. Dangerously close to the corner of my lips.

 _Right._ "That doesn't mean I'm going to give in so easily, Em." My hand came up to cover my mouth as I leaned into it. "What the heck do I look like?" I muffled through my sleeve and glared at her. "Yeah, I made mistakes, but it's not like _life_ comes with instructions. If it did then maybe I'd be the same person I was before my mother-" The words got caught in my throat, causing me to look away. _This is ridiculous._

 _But...if I'm being honest..._ Swallowing over the lump in my throat, I sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" She asked with an innocent glint in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll think about it?"

"Works for me." Her arm squeezed me. "You deserve someone who isn't afraid to meet you halfway, chickpea. I hope you'll understand that."

* * *

Home. Two days later.

 _'There's a secret on the telephone tonight. She calls me baby when shes lonely. And it drives me crazy but I just can't turn her loose. Well, I've grown accustomed to these years of self abuse.'_

I frowned at my stupid iPod as it just so happened to display my feelings in almost every other song. This particular song was no exception.

 _'If you ask me to stay, I wont ever go. We can talk all night. Theres some things you should know. This could be for all time. You can still change your mind. If you ask me to stay, I wont ever go.'_

Blowing my bangs out of my eyes, I stood up and left the room without turning my stereo down or grabbing my phone. I just knew I needed some fresh air before I broke my hand or something else in my room. After sliding haphazardly down the stairs, I made a beeline right for the door and ignored my dad's voice calling after me.

Once my feet hit the pavement, I ran. I ran and ran until it hurt my whole body. And then I ran until the pain seemed to stop altogether. My brain just really needed to calm down and since my whole body felt like someone had taken the bones out of me, I instantly collasped on the nearest spot of grass I could find.

My heart was about to pound right out of my chest, lungs at bursting limit and sweat poured down my face, loosening the bandages from their places. There were actually still light bruises under them, so I chose to keep them covered. Even the one I'd first gotten across my nose. I'd sort of got attached to it, so going without the bandage felt like a piece of my face was missing. (Though I wouldn't admit it out loud: Ariel had some pretty hard hits in her.)

"Oh, I'm completely hopeless!" I groaned loudly and turned on my side, tearing all the bandages off while I was at it. Try as I might, I knew the run had cleared my mind enough to make me not think about anything but the amazing accomplishment rushing through my body in bursts of extra energy. For the moment, anyway.

My eyes quietly scanned the area infront of me. People effortlessly went on with their lives, laughing, talking, walking dogs and messing around on their phones.

It seemed to bring back other feelings I hadn't felt in awhile.

The biggest one being: loneliness. _I have friends, but why do I feel so alone?_ Clenching my jaw tightly, I rolled back over until my eyes beheld the overcast sky. _Looks like snow._ And I hoped it would snow. (Regardless that I wasn't even wearing a jacket and I didn't know where I was either.) _But, it'd sure be nice to have my frozen heart back._ Maybe then my emotions wouldn't run rampant like they'd been since _she_ came into my life.

"Maybe that's the best way." I whispered to myself before sitting up, groaning lightly at the way my back popped. _Feels nice._ But then I thought that I had, indeed, told her at one point to let it go, so should I do the same? Did I have that right? _I mean it's not like she's here, or even tried to find me after all this time._ "I'm not the coward here." Ignoring my already achy muscles, I hauled myself up and stretched my arms above my head. While I was at it, I couldn't help but quote a song that had suddenly popped into my head.

 _"...I'll let you get the best of me, because there's nothing else that I do well. I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker. I guess that's how this one's gonna go. I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker. You've got me down on my knees and I proclaim: All hail the heartbreaker."_

 _Heartbreaker._ A bitter chuckle left my mouth as I ignored the questioning stares people were giving me as I passed. I discretely wiped my eyes and sniffled. _Can I get even more pathetic? Sheesh!_ My feet turned on their own, already wanting to head home so I could continue to patch myself back up. _Besides, Elsa will be graduating soon enough. Where does that leave me, anyway?_ Growling at myself, I snapped my head up I was determined to make a run for it when I suddenly crashed into another body.

"O-oh crap! I'm sorry, I didn't see-" My eyes widened in surprise when familiar arctic blues filled my vision.

"Anna?" Came her scared voice.

"...hey." I made sure to keep myself in check and even took a step back until I reached _safe_ distance. _I seriously don't need this right now._ With a slightly nervous smile, I cleared my throat and side-stepped her. _I can choose to stop, turn back, or go a different way._ The point was my decision and I decided that I didn't need this. Not at the moment.

"Wait." Her hand came up to grab my sleeve. "Please?"

Keeping my mouth shut, I stayed right where I was with my eyes staring straight ahead.

There was a brief hesitance before she suddenly exhaled and yanked me backwards until I felt the immediate warmth from her body spread across my back. A nose buried itself behind my neck as her arms tightly circled my stomach and I was momentarily taken off guard.

"W-what are you-" I quickly looked around and lowered my voice, "Careful. People will see you."

"Let them see. I don't care." She whimpered. I felt the hairs on my nape raise as I felt a more liquid-y feeling caress my skin. _Is...is she crying?_ Before I could frown, she stopped me, "I'm sorry, _Gattina._ " A gentle peck. "I wasn't there when you needed me the most." Another one and a squeeze to my ribs. "I-I was afraid- I-" Her voice broke my heart, but I tried to stay on track with what I'd inadvertantly planned just then.

"It's fine." I answered hollowly, lifting my hands to try to pry her arms from around me. _Here goes._ "I had no right butting into something that didn't even really concern me." Actually there was the Fallon deal too, but that was wholly different from what was happening right then.

" _Anna_." Her voice picked up a new kind of panic once my hands successfully unwound her arms from me. It was like she knew where I was headed in the awkward conversation we were having.

"I understand, Elsa." I turned around to find tears running down her eyes. "It's not like we can go around saying that you and I are a thing. It's not good for your image." Chuckling disdainfully, I then scratched the back of my head. "And you're going to graduate-"

 _"Sono pazzo di te._ " Elsa interjected and frantically grabbed my hand. I frowned in confusion at her.

"Huh?"

 _"Sei il mio incantesimo._ " She whispered more shyly and even went as far as to step closer to me. I watched in utter fascination when those arctic blues shattered their carefully constructed walls and she allowed me to see how bad she was hurting. How much she missed me. How...stupid she was for running away and not chasing me. The intensity of them made me gulped audibly, clearly having _not_ been prepared for that kind of response.

Wait. Wasn't I supposed to be trying to break it off with her?

 _"Sei tutto per me._ " Elsa had managed to make it back into my personal space where she let her voice dip with more emotion than I'd heard from her.

 _Still._ I leaned into her hypnotic scent a bit and whispered back. "What are you saying to me that you can't say in English?"

Without elaborating right away, Elsa immediately tugged on my hand and ran in the opposite direction I was originally headed. Before I could even think to question further, she suddenly took a sharp left, up a short flight of stairs and right into a rather nice looking building. The doorman greeted us and Elsa gave him a quick nod as she continued to pull me into the elevators at the far end of the place.

Once the doors closed and she pressed floor 17, Elsa's full lips met mine instantly.

My eyes widened in surprise and I had to pull back to try to catch my breath first. I felt more than a little awkward, but didn't hesitate to take a deep, calming breath before bringing my hands up to cup her sweet face. She was breathing hard too. _Wow. Days of pining and worry, self-depreciation, guilt and whatnot...instantly smoothed over in a simple kiss._ It was gone. Kaput. Replaced with peace.

"I said: I'm crazy about you." Elsa began, leaning into my hands as the energy suddenly shifted between us. Like my touch was permission enough for those delicious lips to connect back to mine. "You're my enchantment." She breathed into my mouth, letting her arms snake around my waist once more.

I couldn't help but pull back so I could chuckle like an idiot. "You sure _that's_ what you were saying to me?" I asked, placing my forehead on hers and staring unabashedly into her deep blue eyes. "You're not talking trash are you?"

"You're everything for me." Elsa sent me that same shy smile and then leaned in to capture my lips once more. My mind exploded just like that.

* * *

 _A/N: Okay...truthfully, this chapter was_ Already _written while I was in Las Vegas sometime ago (which is weird because I actually had a lot of fun there) anyway...I decided to finish it since I can't sleep at the moment. I own nothing._

 _So, yeah. Hope y'all enjoyed Christmas. If not, then I definitely wish you a merry one and a happy new year still!_

 _Thanks for reading/fave-ing/reviewing and whatnot. You're all sweet._

 _Toootles~_


	21. Beanie Busted

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A week and a half before suspension. Lunch.

"Here, Anna. Try this!" Olaf chirped happily as he already began shoving what appeared to be the last bite of his churro into my already filled mouth.

" _Ola-mmph-!"_ I tried to protest when I felt all the food hit the back of my throat. It made me immediately slap his hand away lest I gag and lose the first of the lunch I'd just ate. _Idiot!_

"Hey, weirdos. What exactly are you two doing?" Kida appeared out of nowhere and asked after placing her lunch next to mine.

"Why, we're having dessert first of course!" Olaf beamed at her and then moved over so Kristoff could join him on his side.

"Yeah. While _y'all_ are having a dandy ole lunch without a care in the world, Kida and I have been put to work like you wouldn't believe. All morning." Kristoff said grumpily while rolling his thick neck.

"Aww...do we need to call the _wah-_ mbulance?" I joked once I was able to safely swallow the food in my mouth. He glared at me, but said nothing more and instead, dug into his lunch.

"For _him_ maybe." Kida smirked, picking a cucumber from Kristoff's tray and ignored his mutterings about doing twice the work because she was too busy ordering him around alongside Ms. Mode. "Anyway, how confident are you about the play, O?" She inquired as she leaned forward to place her chin in her palm.

"I am super, ultra excited for it!" Olaf grinned like a maniac, pumping his fist in the air before pointing at Kida and Kristoff. "I've been practicing my lines forever now, Ms. Mode is just awesome at her job and you two are helping me like crazy on and off set." After giving them pats, he turned back to me. "And _you_ , my dear friend, have been nothing but supportive of me from the start." Olaf reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. "Without you, I don't think I would have first tried out for anything play-related and now I love it!" His smile showed off all three of his dimples, making me return my own warm smile at him. _Sheesh._ "Now, I actually think I wanna go to school for performing arts after I graduate."

"You mean, _theater_ smart one?" Kida snickered, earning a light tap to the side of her head from Kristoff.

I laughed somewhat self-consciously and attempted to wave him off. "O-oh stop, you loveable dork." Seriously, all I did was tell him to go for it and that if anyone tried to tease him about it, I wouldn't hesitate to kick their butt. Kristoff had agreed with me straightway, but I didn't know why he was being so deliberate to me in particular at the moment.

"Well, we got front row seats if anything." Kida smirked at him and then us. "Compliments of _all_ of our contributions- shut up Toffy, I helped just as much as you did." She directed a pointed look at him, before smoothing it over with a sweet smile. "Either way, I can't wait!"

They all cheered and went around the table giving high-fives. But before I could get too emotional or excitedly jump around to noogie the smallest member of our group, I noticed a flash of red in the corner of my eye. All the way across the quad, I saw Ariel Simmons waving off her main gaggle of friends and walking through the gates, leaving campus for lunch. Alone. _Perfect._

It was at times just like this exact one that Fallon told me the snooty redhead snuck off to go see her for a private lunch date. It was pretty messed up since Ariel secretly wooed Fallon outside of school, but then publicly humiliated her to save face infront of the student body. It was utterly confusing and I'd specifically asked Fallon _why_ did she allow Simmons to continue treating her like that and she hesitantly responded that she wasn't sure.

It pissed me off like no other because Ariel was ultimately damaging poor Fallon and the smaller girl didn't seem to want to mind a poisonous relationship like that.

"Hey, I gotta gay." I stood up in a daze before my eyes widened in realization. " _Go._ I gotta go. I forgot something at home."

Olaf, Kida and Kristoff waved me away and continued talking animatedly while I left my lunch there and sprinted off to catch up to the other redhead.

* * *

We ended up at a hole-in-the-wall, dingy-looking café called the Class Act.

"I knew you'd join me for a date eventually." Ariel smirked like she knew what I was all about, making me fight off the urge to gag in disgust. _She doesn't waste time, does she?_ "But why today, might I ask? I'm supposed to be meeting someone else here." She added while picking at her freshly manicured nails.

"Would that happen to be a certain girl named Fallon McKinley?" I asked slyly, steepling my fingers infront of me questioningly. Her crystal blue eyes flashed with panic, but she hastily played it off by grinning at me.

"Who?"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Oh, give it up already! You know who she is." Leaning forward, I placed my arms on the table under me. "I know _all_ about you two."

"Whatever." She huffed, crossing own her arms and looking away from me.

"Actually, I know something you, yourself are too afraid to admit." I added quietly. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with calling her out, but now that she was giving me that same impossible attitude, I flexed my jaw in finality.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Hard eyes crashed into mine.

"That you're as straight as a boiled noodle."

She suddenly glared venomously at me. "Who told you that?"

"No one had to tell me, genius." I replied sassily. "First of all: I saw you shamelessly checking Fallon out while she bent over to get a drink of water the other day." I could see her turning the _slightest_ bit uncomfortable at getting caught so easily, but she managed to get ahold of her emotions just as quickly. "You really got to reel in your leering." Came my added haphazard warning.

"I was only seeing what kind of jeans she was wearing. Sue me." Ariel scoffed, trying to play it off still.

"Uh huh." I nodded unconvincingly before sucking on my incisor. "Like that's any better, considering all students at Arendelle High don't even _wear_ jeans." I waved her off, trying not to out right laugh at her because _I_ did the exact same thing all the time. "Secondly, as I stated before, I know about you and Fallon."

"You have no evidence." She snapped.

"And _you_ need to stop messing with her head." I shot back. "Can't you see what you're doing to her self-esteem? Now she's going to think it's okay to run around on her partner. To cheat like it's not a bad thing." I narrowed my eyes dangerously at her. "You're emotionally abusing Fallon with this stupid garbage and you know it."

"I am _not_ cheating on Eric with her, you little-" Ariel began to lift herself over the table to get right back in my face. I kept her steely gaze on lock as well.

"Anna?" We both looked up to see the very person we were talking about. Fallon looked from me to her and then back to me in question. "And Ariel? What-"

"Hi! Fallon." I smiled sweetly at her, quickly standing up and offering my seat before turning back to full-on glare at Ariel. "Remember what I said, Simmons." Leaning in, I whispered harshly. "I _won't_ hesitate to bring you down a peg or two if you don't cut it out soon."

"Bring it on, Crescent." She sneered.

* * *

Present. Back at Elsa's.

The elevator doors opened straight into a loft apartment and I felt my jaw drop open in suprise.

" _Whoa..._ " I breathed.

Elsa let out a soft shy giggle before taking my hand and leading me further into the wide open living space. The parquet floor was littered with several expensive looking black and dark blue rugs. The walls were as white as snow and _man_ there was so much of it that I feared I would need to wear sunglasses...and completely stay right in the middle of the floor so I wouldn't stain any of them with a simple touch. _Holy cow!_ Off to the side, there was a couple of giant bay windows overlooking downtown that were next to a glass-railed wall staircase that lead to an upper level where I could see a full bookshelf in the corner. Not only that, but there was a desk and chair there and even another shorter staircase that lead to a higher space. _Bedroom? Bed?_

Bringing my eyes back down to the lower levels, I made note of a four person dining table with a pretty kitchen sitting directly behind it. Off to the side, there was a hallway that let out into a closed door. I swear the entire place didn't even need lights! There was also an elegant looking black couch sitting across from a forty-inch flat screen TV in the middle of the wide space covered with movies, an xbox, a PS3, and even a Wii! Actually, there was so much more added to the rest of the entertainment center that it definitely put mine to shame. Infront of that, sat a pristine white coffee table with drawers, complete with real flowers. _Just...wow!_ The wide expanse of fabulousness was all so much to take in that I felt like I needed to sit down lest I forget how to breathe.

"You _live_ here?" I asked blankly when Elsa shuffled her feet semi-awkwardly next to me. I didn't even know _how_ long I'd been staring, but I just knew that I'd never seen anything like it before.

"Yeah. I decided to stay with my mom and since she didn't want to stay at our old house, she got this one." She answered quietly.

"Is she, like, a home decor person?" I had to ask after gawking at everything once again.

"No. It's more of a hobby for her, I guess."

Her slightly strained tone of voice quickly made me snap out of it. Just from glancing at my companion, I could see that she was as nervous as I was awe-struck at their gorgeous loft. So with a crooked grin, I turned back to her. "Well, are we just going to stand here like a couple of awkward fools or do I get a personal tour of the beautiful student council president's living quaters? I'm fine with either." I joked.

Elsa finally let out a breathy chuckle before taking a deep breath. "W-would you like something to drink?"

Rolling my eyes, I brought my hands up to smooth along the sleeves of her soft white jacket. I hadn't even noticed she was wearing my beanie until then. _Even after all that? Argh!_ Right then and there I decided that it was completely stupid of me to try to let her go. How could I think things like that now?

"You don't have to be scared, Miss Mariani." I whispered soothingly. "It's just me."

"I'm not scared." She defended. "I just- you just make me so nervous, Anna." Elsa bit into her lip and looked away shyly. It was quite endearing to see her so out of character, but I liked her all the more for it.

"Well then, let's make you un-nervous." I suggested with a stupid grin on my face. " _Barbie."_

Before she could scoff, or get mad at me, I took her hands and began walking backwards with my eyes never leaving hers. "Nice beanie." I commented and smirked knowingly, making a sweet little flush tint her cheeks as she took a hand back to adjust it.

"I-I forgot to give it back." She stammered like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

 _So cute!_ "You simply forgot? Or do you mean you just didn't _want_ to?" I asked smugly.

 _Smack_! I immediately twitched away from her with a bark of laughter at the unsuspecting slap to my shoulder. That skin-on-skin contact was an unhelpful reminder that I still didn't have my jacket, let alone a phone. But I didn't particularly care in the next second. "There, see? Was that so hard?" Again, I asked with a calming smile.

"It was." Elsa stopped walking and instead, pulled me back into her arms. My eyes widened in surprise once more as her intoxicating scent filled my nose. She was so soft and warm and I couldn't help but wrap my own arms around her too. Utter silence began to slowly engulf us, but I couldn't draw too much attention to it because her silky hair was tickling the side of my face, her body warmth was calming me in ways I didn't think possible, and her heart beat resounded very closely to mine.

She suddenly pulled back and brought her hands up to delicately cup my face. I watched in fascination as her arctic blues flickered with so many emotions as her thumb shakily traced over the bruise on my cheek before dropping down to lift my hand up to her line of vision. My eyes followed hers to the still lightly bruised knuckles of my right hand. "Did I do all of these to you, _Gattina_?" Elsa asked quietly and then brought apologetic moist eyes back to mine.

There was a fleeting sense of panic that shot through me as my eyes snapped back up. "W-what? You? No, of course not! Why would you say something like that?" I chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease her growing fear of thinking that _she_ was the cause.

"Don't lie, Anna." Elsa lowered her head to gently kiss my knuckles. "You've been fighting for me since the beginning of the year and I've been _much_ too blind to see it."

My face began heating up substantially at the raw honesty she was exuding. Not to mention that my stomach was being over flooded with millions of butterflies every time those delicious full lips touched my blemished skin. "U-umm-" I let out another breathless chuckle as she continued to lead her gentle kisses up my forearm, and I gulped in audible nervousness when she jumped to my shoulder.

"Thank you, _Gattina_." She whispered before pressing her lips to my cheek. "For everthing."

 _And now I'm going to faint._ "Wh- I-I-" I cleared my throat and brought my free hand up to push my hair behind my flushed ear. "Don't m-mention it."

"Now what about that tour?" Elsa whispered before causing my toes to curl by placing a soft kiss right on my pulse point. I swear I could have fallen over right then and there, but she ended up taking my hand and lead me toward the kitchen.

The pristine walls held a few pictures and I would have stopped to look at them if I wasn't so distracted by the warmth pulsating through my neck an all over my body from where she'd kissed me. Elsa had never kissed me anywhere but on the face and now she was suddenly laying them all over me! Not that I was complaining, I mean, _I_ wanted to do something like that too, it was just that I wasn't sure how to go about it. _Do I just rush in there like an awkward frantic romantic? Ease in as slow as a turtle? But what if she freaks out on both? I won't be able to play it off!_

"...and that's where I shaved my head last year." Elsa's smooth voice made me snap my head back to her.

"What?" I asked in total confusion.

"Are you okay?" She asked after giving me a strange once over.

 _Crap!_ "Yeah! I-I was just-" I let out a chuckle. "I'm fine. My brain just short-circuited for a second there."

"Seriously?" Curious gorgeous blue eyes filled my vision, making me take a step back.

"Yes." I smirked before kissing the tip of her nose. She froze on contact and I had the satisfying view of seeing surprise with a dash of a blush capture her beautiful face. "Does that mean you're wearing a wig then?" I chuckled, reaching up to wiggle my fingers under the beanie.

Elsa's geniune laugh filled the wide living space as she moved her head away from my hand. I allowed an idiotic grin to split my face when she reached up to pull the beanie from her head. Platinum blonde hair spilled out in thick silky waves around her shoulders and she made me practically bite right through my lip as she then shook her hair out. I swear, magical dust exploded forth and captivated all of my senses.

"You're _really_ , really pretty." I blurted.

" _Sei bellisima."_ Elsa whispered with a deeper shade of pink tinting her cheeks. "You're beautiful." She gently translated, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted the real thing. I wanted to feel the scorching heat of her mouth open against my skin, wanted to know the intensity of her velvet tongue smoothing out a fresh and tender bruise. My sudden desire must have been clear, because when Elsa pulled back just enough to look at me, there was a tiny smirk playing at the tip of her lips. "And since you're not really intersted in the lower level, shall we go up to my room?"

That jolted me out of my raging thoughts. "Y-your room?" I stammered. Elsa's response was a nod as she then took my hand and held it until we reached her bedroom.

Turns out that both upper levels of the loft I'd seen earlier belonged to Elsa. So the overflowing bookshelf, the desk, which was littered with papers and a computer that was paused on some odd looking show were hers. Behind the stair case was what looked like a walk-in closet. Right next to it was a large vanity mirror with a few proucts on it and an entrance to the bathroom right next to that. It was like a whole other half of a house and I was once again stunned to silence at the extravagance of her room. _This is seriously awesome!_

My eyes then trailed up the short flight of stairs and I tilted my head in question. "Is that your bed up there?"

" _That_ is why I called dibs on this part of the loft." Elsa beamed happily before tugging on my hand and leading me up the stairs.

My breath hitched when I saw just how mind-blowing it was up there. Her bed was _massive_ and it sat alone in the middle of the decent-sized space, but that wasn't all. Looking up, I saw the unobscured view of the still cloudy late afternoon sun. It was like _the_ ultimate sunroof! Only, 'house version.' "There's no roof- ceiling...thing." I tried to point out, not taking my eyes off a bird that was flying right over the building.

"That's the best part." Elsa let go of my hand so she could slip on to her bed. "You should see the view at night." She purred, making me break my gaze to grin slyly at her.

"Are you already asking me to stay the night, Snow Paw?" I asked while crossing my arms arrogantly.

 _Thump!_

An unsuspecting pillow to my face made me take a surprised step backwards and once I steadied myself, I looked at her mock incredulously. "Did the _very_ composed and immaculate student council president just hit me with a pillow?"

"Yes." She giggled. "And I do it again." That time, I dodged the next pillow by rolling on my shoulder and grasping the first one she threw at me. When I stood back up, I gave her a devious smirk.

"You, madam, shall feel the wrath of my pillow feathers!" I declared and lunged at her, bringing my weapon of choice down, hitting nothing but the sheets below. There was no time to wonder how she could move so fast when a hit to the back of my head made me jump up and roll over to the opposite side of her big bed. Just after I crouched on my knees, she jumped at me with nothing but determination blazing in her arctic blues. My eyes widened in panic and instead of blocking her attack with my own pillow, I tossed it away and clamped my arms around her slim waist.

Elsa let out a delightful shriek as I successfully tackled her. Instead of letting me get the best of her, she expertly flipped us over until I was pinned to the bed with my hands above my head. "Give?" Elsa breathed in excitement.

"Never." I grinned dangerously before thrusting my face upwards. Our lips touched for a split second and I lowered myself back down, watching her cheeks turn a shade darker than they'd started out with. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" I chuckled and tried to loosen my hands from her hold to no avail.

Her answer was to lean down to connect our lips once more and as she did that, I quickly slipped my hands out of her now loose grip. I caught her cheeks because I half expected her to pull away at the last possible second and run off while I kicked myself mentally for not keeping her right where she was. Only it seemed that Elsa _hadn't_ planned on doing any of that because just as my hands touched her creamy skin, I felt a white hot jolt of lightening pass through me. The kiss lingered, lengthened even and it made me suddenly _very_ aware of the position that both of us were in.

Elsa was bent over me, hands on either side of my head and her platinum blonde locks created a thick curtain of silkiness around us, shielding us away. There was a warmth that presented itself all down my torso that let me know our bodies were only inches apart. More than anything, the situation made me particulary aware of the way Elsa's legs felt over my hips.

Until then, I hadn't considered doing _any_ of the things I was doing now with Elsa. Dating someone, anyone, was just an outrageous thought for me and though neither of us had really _asked_ the other, there was still a strong hint that we were a thing. If it wasn't for me staking my claim all those days ago, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to mess around with the idea of dating her anymore. Elsa Mariani did things to me. She stirred feelings and unknown needs and definite uncharted desires that only recently began to burn in my chest when we kissed. At times it even coulded my mind and I found that I was fine with that. As long as it was with Elsa Mariani.

It was easy seeing her in those short instances at school, though. Those brief encounters after school where Elsa had _yet_ to be insistent, but now? At that moment. In her actual bed and pretty much _alone_...I found myself wanting _more_. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but the growing need for something more hit me like a train.

Keeping one hand on her cheek, I let the other venture away until it settled low on her back. I rolled without much thought and easily flipped us back over with such smoothness that our kiss didn't have to break. Once I was on top with my hips still between Elsa's legs and my whole weight pressing down into her, I suddenly felt her hands press into my waist. My eyes snapped open and I didn't hesitate to pull away enough to give her a questioning look. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable in any way and if that little gesture was one to make me stop, I'd do it. When Elsa simply looked back at me, I lifted my body some, just in case she wanted to say something. Or stop.

But, instead of saying anything, she stealthily slipped the tips of her fingers under my shirt. _So, she didn't want me to stop?_ Arctic blues watched mine closely to see if I was okay with that, (which I was. Definitely.) and once she saw that I was, her hand grew bolder. She delicately carressed upwards, over my stomach and causing the muscles of my core to constrict beneath her warm palm because it actually tickled. My breath hitched with each tensing muscle and I was momentarily dazed when Elsa's other hand raised to touch my cheek, ultimately guiding me back down to continue the kiss. I eagerly met her sweet mouth and parted my lips so it was deep and open and so I could feel that her breathing was just as erratic as mine was.

Elsa's delicate fingers traced a tantalyzing trail down the line of my hip bone and then inward along the sensitive expanse of flesh. It set off fluttering feelings at opposite ends of my body, and it made my hips involuntarily ground forward to seek whatever pressure I could get. I ended up pushing my hips hard between hers and while it hadn't been deliberate, I felt Elsa's fingers clutch at my stomach in response. Instantaneously, her knee bent upwards and cradled the curve of my hip so that we were now snugly fit together.

 _Oh, wow._ I couldn't help but ground forward again, savoring the hot breaths against my lips because this was _exactly_ what I'd been wanting. It was the _more_. Even though it was nothing more than kissing and a few touches, I felt my insides running absolutely wild. Elsa was driving me wild! Her scent, the way she tasted, her touch, and sweet Odin, the way she met every push of my hips with her own...

I wanted to use my hands too.

Leaving one to hold myself up, I let the other fall to the knee she'd placed over my hip. A soft whimper left her mouth as I traced the back length of her thigh and she didn't hesitate to wrap her calf around the back of my own thigh as if to encourage me to venture further. As my hand did just that, Elsa's mouth left mine to drag her lips along my jaw and the light carresses made my eyes flutter closed almost immediately. She planted a single peck on her descent before opening her mouth against my neck. The feeling was _so_ much better than what I had originally thought it would be and it also amazed me that she didn't need to be rough, (like the movies) she didn't need to sink her teeth into me, (like some books) she didn't even need to suck hard because the heat alone was mind-blowing in itself.

It was enough to send a wildfire to my cheeks, chest and even right between my legs as a budding pressure presented itself there. The feeling only intensified when Elsa's mouth closed against my pulse point and the tip of her tongue slid lazily along my throat after it opened again. My eyes rolled heavenward.

It caused my hand to instantly tighten on Elsa's thigh in firm pleasure as a breathy sigh escaped my lips. " _Mmm...yes."_ She froze momentarily and my eyes popped open again in shock. Embarrassment instantly seized my face and colored it red because I had _not_ meant for that to be said out loud!

But in response to it, Elsa continued and let her hand slip out from under my shirt so she could wrap it around my back. Her hand settled just above the waistline of my jeans and I couldn't stop the soft growl that left me as she suddenly pulled me harder against her.

"Elsa! Sweetheart, are you home?" A new, feminine voice echoed throughout the loft, startling the both of us.

It scared Elsa's mouth away from my throat while it actually scared me right off the bed.

 _Wait. What?!_

* * *

 _A/N: Yay...a kind of longer chapter! Hope y'all liked it._

 _Thank you for reading and for your words of encouragement you gorgeous specimens! ^^_

 _Tootles~_


	22. Her

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"That- that's your mom. Your _mom!_ What am I going to do?" I whispered harshly and cowered behind Elsa's bed with a million paranoiac thoughts rushing through my head at once. The last time I heard of her mom, they'd just had some sort of heated disagreement that spurred our whole marathon through the mall (of which Elsa had yet to really tell me some important details about) and now I was again within the same seeing/talking distance as her mom. _What do I do?_ _What if she blames me for running away when she was only trying to talk to Elsa? Did she even see what I looked like?_ "H-have you got an escape route?" I asked frantically, ignoring the fact that I was afraid of heights and was currently looking out over the city below. I swear my heart was ready to explode out of my chest as I practically pushed my nose up against the window on that same side.

"Okay. Stay here while I go get my extra parachute and then you can cut through the glass to get out." Elsa replied almost downright sarcastically. Her dramatic tone made me turn away from the window to glare at her. Once our eyes met, she held a hand up to her mouth to stifle her delighted snicker at me. Seriously. How was I _supposed_ to react? Here we were, having a steamy make-out session and her mom waltzes in un-expectantly and very easily could have caught us if we hadn't moved up here! _Doesn't that door have a lock?!_ Oh yeah...it _wasn't_ a door. I'd momentarily forgotten that we got into the apartment through an elevator. (Which _now_ I remembered that Elsa had used a key before pressing the button.)

"I brought us your favorite: Margherita pizza. Because I love you." The woman taunted from somewhere below before sighing melodramatically. "Starfire, if I find you glued to that _Supernatural_ show again, I'm going to have a mom-intervention!"

"I-I'm coming!" Elsa called back over her shoulder. "And I'm _not_ addicted to _Supernatural_." She made sure to inform me and then raked her hands through her beautiful hair to tousle it up from bed head mode once more. A stupid grin split my face automatically at that. _Starfire, huh?_

"Is _that_ what's paused on your computer?" I asked, having pretty much forgotten that her mother was there for about thirty more seconds. "Wait. Won't it look... a little odd if we _both_ go down the stairs together? _These_ stairs, I mean." I pointed to the ones Elsa was about to start descending.

"She's probably in the kitchen or changing out of her work clothes." She shrugged before holding her hand out to me. "Calm down, _Gattina._ I'm pretty sure my mom won't kick you out or anything." That smile of hers could calm a storm.

 _Still._ "How positive are you?" I asked suspiciously while tumbling over her bed to grasp her hand so she wouldn't take my hesitation the wrong way. Looking back at the shimmering light blue bed, I kept in mind to question her later about her _silk_ sheets. _I mean, what kind of teenager has silk sheets?!_ It made me want to fall face first back into her mattress and never leave.

"High nineties." Elsa responded confidently, breaking my reverie of her huge bed.

Once I got a feel of her self-confidence level about me not getting run out of their apartment like a rat, my shoulders came up in an easy shrug. "Works for me, I suppose." _If she can be so sure about it, then why can't I?_ _And what's the worse Ms. Mariani can do?_ I decided _not_ to think further on that one and instead let her lead me down to the lower part of her room before stopping as a momentary thought swooped across my mind. _Um…_ Gently slipping my hand out of Elsa's, I swiftly made my way back over to her large vanity for a check-up. My lower lip took purchase between my teeth and I nibbled hesitantly on it at the same time my eyes thoroughly scanned over the skin of my neck, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. The last thing I wanted to do was get introduced to Elsa's mother with- with a _hickey_ on my neck! Luckily, there was nothing but my own red face because curious icy blue eyes were also peeking over my shoulder at me through the mirror.

"Uh-" She began to frown in question.

"I-I-I was just making sure!" I blurted and covered the side of my neck with my hand and an awkward smile twitched on to my face.

Those deep blue pools flashed with more inquiry before shifting to full realization and then to utter sheepishness as she stepped back to clear her throat. "Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I wasn't thinking." Her tone turned slightly disappointed, making me inwardly kick myself for being so brash about it.

But, before she could possibly do the same thing to herself or think that I _hadn't_ enjoyed myself as much as I had, I immediately jumped at her. My arms wrapped securely around her waist and with a playful snarl, I didn't hesitate to bury my face in her neck. An uncharacteristic and totally awkward giggle erupted from her as I showered whatever insanely creamy soft skin I could with butterfly kisses. Neck and cheek included. She squirmed for a few more seconds until her hands came up to frantically grasp at my shoulders.

"A-Anna, stop-!" She yelped while trying to ease me back. Which I did for just a moment to give her a devious grin.

"And if I don't?" I asked before teasingly twitching forward, making her eyes widen and her hands twitch as well. _Adorable._

"You'll b-be sorry."

"But my name is Anna."

My arrogant grin faded as Elsa's insanely blue eyes turned a little precarious and then further as she took a step back, hand raising to undoubtedly land a hit on me for my teasing. I ended up backing right in to her vanity and just about cowered like an idiot when her mother's voice called us back down to earth.

"Hey, _Winchester_ brothers' child! _Uno non può pensare bene, amare bene, dormire bene, se non ha mangiato bene!_ Am I eating dinner alone or what?"

I suddenly directed a confused frown behind Elsa like I could see the woman directly and then glanced questioningly at back at my confidante. "What'd she say?" I had to ask.

" _Aspettami, mami."_ Elsa called back before looking nervously into my eyes. "Ready?"

The way she fidgeted made my eyes trail over the rest of her virtually anxious body. The way she thrummed her fingers against her leg nonstop, chewed on her lip, and subtly darted her eyes back and forth between mine caused my brow to raise curiously. "Why are _you_ so nervous, Snow Paw? It won't work if we're both like that!" I whispered realistically while waving my free hand around.

"Because my mom hasn't seen me bring anyone home?" Elsa answered bashfully and then added, "Ever."

That sweet little confession made a wide, thrilled grin spread over my face. "You mean, not even good ole Hansie hasn't seen those comfy silk sheets of yours?"

Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red, but I couldn't care less about my forward question because it was extremely priceless to see her blush like that! "No. N-not even good ole Hansie." Elsa quietly agreed before leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to my cheek and then turned back around so she could begin her descent with me right behind her.

Now with a new found confidence, I allowed myself to begin relaxing further. _What's the harm?_ Elsa herself said that she hadn't brought anyone home before, so her mom seeing someone else with her might improve Elsa's standing with the older woman a little.

Regardless that I was wearing a black t-shirt with a signature white _Gas Monkey Garage_ logo etched in the material on my front. Along with faded, somewhat torn blue jeans that just so happened to be my favorite pair and to top it off, I had my worn-out black and white converse tied securely around my feet. Also, my usual difficult red mane was actually neatly braided in twin pigtails as I showed off my pale blonde streak on the right side of my hair and bangs. (I finally called it and was going to cut said bangs once I got back.) After seeing myself through Elsa's eyes in her vanity made me want a less obscured view of the world. Not that I had hair covering the entire side of my face or anything.

All of that, as opposed to Elsa's soft white sweater (which she hadn't removed for some reason) that seemed to define her figure even more than I'd realized three seconds ago. Her dark blue skinny jeans that hugged the curve of her long toned legs until they disappeared into a pair of knee high black leather boots and finally her exquisitely disheveled wavy platinum blonde hair that spilled over her shoulders and down her back. _Simply dazzling!_ Though, it did manage to make me feel like a total fashion failure compared to her. _Guess you can tell I haven't had a mother figure for a while now._

When we eventually got close to the last step, I could already hear music playing from somewhere other than the TV and it made me wonder where it was coming from. _The kitchen? Her mom's room? Bathroom?_ I inwardly snorted at that last one. My internal thoughts aside, the song just happened to be a track from the _Trans-Siberian Orchestra_ called _Carol of the Bells_ and it was a personal favorite of mine. Seriously, if there was _any_ sort of instrument I really wanted to learn, it would have to be the cello.

Fluttering thoughts of becoming the next _Apocalyptica_ member because of my awesome soon-to-be-learned cello playing came to an abrupt halt when that same voice spoke up again. Much closer this time.

"Elsa? Honey, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times to get out there and hang around-"

There was a sudden flash of blonde that made my breath catch in my throat and I was sure that if Elsa hadn't been standing right infront of me, I would have missed that final step and ended up clean on my face. When the woman fully stopped infront of us, she was just pulling her shirt over her stomach, so when our eyes actually met, we both gaped in surprise.

She. Was. Stunning!

What I'd first thought to be simply _blonde_ hair actually turned out to be a more sandy color that even seemed to fade to a paler blonde at the tips. Her hair was perfectly curled and as she shook it out, those curls came back to tumble over her well-defined shoulders, framing her gorgeous face too. Her skin was the same creamy alabaster color as Elsa's and her eyes were closer to a Sapphic blue than Elsa's cerulean. _Whoa._ Everything about the woman screamed completely sophisticated with a hint of something else that could be described in the _Beatles_ shirt she was currently sporting. It was like looking through a time portal because I was pretty sure Elsa would eventually grow into a striking young woman very similar to her mother. It was mind-blowing to be in the presence of the two near-goddesses. _Life can be so unfair sometimes!_

"And I told you that I would do that if _you_ stopped hanging around work on Saturdays." Elsa's familiar voice broke my trance and I finally took that last step. Of course when our eyes met again, I had to wonder _why_ Elsa was running from her the other day.

"Well, _piccola._ Seems like you've already beaten me to that." Came her wind-chimed voice as she directed a pleasantly warmer smile at me. "Hello." _Really. Why was Elsa running?_

" _Mami_ , this is Anna." Elsa answered and stepped to the side so she could give me an encouraging smile.

Sapphire eyes widened at the mention of my name. "So _you're_ Anna? _The_ Anna?" Elsa's mother's smile grew tenfold as she suddenly stepped forward to take my shoulders in her hands.

My own eyes widened in surprise. "G-good to know I've been talked about?" I replied on instinct, but then cleared my throat to try to get ahold of myself. "I-I mean, yes! I'm Anna. Anna Crescent." I nodded like a fool.

"Welcome then!" Her pearly whites almost blinded me. "I'm Letizia Mariani."

* * *

"So, Anna. How are you liking the pizza?" Letizia asked from behind her wine glass. (Which was filled with water.)

I looked up from positively stuffing my face and swallowed thickly before answering. "My first love is definitely pepperoni, but _this_ is something else entirely." Wiping my hands with a napkin, I then took a drink of the soda they'd so kindly offered me. I actually hadn't expected to share dinner with them, but Letizia had fervently insisted, so I _had_ to accept. And I was glad I did because whatever we were eating was amazing.

"Of course it isn't truly authentic, but it's relatively close to the real thing." She continued, making me glance from her to Elsa with questioning eyes.

"Margherita pizza is a special variety of pizza that originates in Naples, Italy." Elsa informed and I did _not_ miss the way her foot almost teasingly brushed mine. "It's a protected food, which means that it has to be made a certain way in order to bear the label: _pizza Margherita_ and the Italian government actually certifies bakeries that produce it."

As much as I wanted to watch Elsa's lips and light accent caress each word as they left her mouth, I couldn't help myself. "Say _pizza_ again." I purred as my own foot brushed hers back. Elsa stopped trying to inform me all about it and instantly flushed.

"My daughter's such a bookworm." Letizia's voice snapped me back into reality, making _me_ flush as well since I'd nearly forgotten she was there. _Oops._

"I-I've noticed." I replied as easily as I could and chanced another drink of my soda. _How stupid am I?!_

"And Anna's music knowledge is off the charts." Elsa practically said through her teeth, foot pressing pointedly into mine in agreement with my previous thought. From the smug look on her pretty face, I could already tell I was in for it.

"Is it now?" Letizia asked. The delighted tone in her voice caused me to look from Elsa's smirk back at her, only to reach for another slice of pizza. I knew _that_ look. _Just don't look at her!_ "Do you sing, Anna?" She leaned further over, eyes brightening with what I clearly saw as a challenge. _Now I'm in for it!_

Breaking my gaze from both of them, I wordlessly shook my head while stuffing more pizza into my mouth. In _no_ way was I going to _sing_ infront of my confidante's mother!

* * *

As said mother set up the game, I discretely reached over to pinch Elsa's side. She jumped a bit and worked hard to stifle the pending giggle that wanted to erupt since the _pizza_ comment. _Thanks a lot!_ I still glared at her.

Again, the gorgeous student council president stuck her tongue out at me and I had the insane urge to tackle her just then. Instead I settled for reaching up to pinch her cheek like a toddler's. Before she could even think about getting me back, Letizia turned around and tossed me a mic. _Mic?!_

"One song." She stated while crossing her arms.

"Karaoke?" I felt inclined to ask after blankly staring at the electronic stick she'd given me. "I don't-"

"You get _one_ shot to see if you're worthy." Sapphire eyes sharpened confidently. Elsa and I glanced at each other in confusion before looking back at her mom.

"Worthy? Is this some sort of modern day duel?" I asked since she was putting more questions in my head than answers.

"I wasn't born yesterday, ladies." Pushing her curly hair back into a clip she'd gotten from her pocket, Elsa's mother gave us a knowing grin. "Don't think I didn't catch you two playing footsie a few minutes ago."

Elsa and I both paled at that.

" _M-mami-_ that-" Elsa tried.

"Impress me, Anna." Letizia interjected, gently patting her daughter's shoulder. "You do that, I'll give you proper permission." Before I could open my mouth, she cut me off too. "I should warn you that I'm not so easily impressed with the top 40's."

I couldn't help but snort at that. "Right. Because I was _just_ about to sing something from today." And even though she wasn't exactly taunting me to my face, I saw the eminent challenge in those shiny sapphires. I also had yet to back down from any sort of challenge. "So, I just choose a song and if you like it I get to..." choosing my words carefully, I continued with a smirk. "Take your daughter out for a ride on my motorcycle?"

"What?" They barked in unison.

"You have actually have a bike? I thought you were kidding." Elsa couldn't wipe the surprise off her face.

"Well, it's not finished yet." I shrugged, but then put my hands up defensively when Letizia narrowed her eyes at me. "A-and I have a license, so don't worry."

"If you lose, I won't have to worry at all." She grinned.

" _Mami!"_ Elsa hissed with wide eyes.

"It's okay, Snow Paw." I grinned back at her in assurance and popped my neck. If her mother wanted me to impress her enough to gain her permission to date Elsa...my brow furrowed in determination. _Bring it on._

When I brushed past Elsa, I made sure she saw my wink before I settled on the floor infront of the TV. I'd misjudged the size earlier and easily calculated the screen to be at least fifty-six inches. _Holy cow!_ But in the next instant I frowned at the song selections. _Says no top forty when there's nothing but!_ Pursing my lip, I thought about what I really could have sang if I only had my iPod with me. _Some sort of Country song might have worked._

"It's only fair that you don't see what song she picks." Elsa voiced from behind me.

"Fine." Letizia huffed.

Their light banter made a small smile form on my lips. The songs on the other hand. _Hello, Hotline Bling, Stitches, Same Old Love, Sorry, On My Mind..._ My face twisted into part disbelieving sneer until the perfect song suddenly presented itself in my mind. I stood up after I found the song to find Elsa and her mom arguing in the language I couldn't understand, but from the way my confidante was blushing, I knew it wasn't anything bad.

 _So, what? Do I just start?_

 _"Ho perso il mio 'mojo.'"_ Letizia snickered, making Elsa face-palm.

" _Mami_ , stop it. You're a horrible impressionist."

The way they shared a light-hearted laugh had me pausing to just watch their interactions for a bit. Even though Elsa didn't really talk about either of her parents, I could tell she loved them dearly. Her father may have been the main one to break her heart, but she chose to keep that hidden and only let it show when she felt like dealing with it. Which was often the cause of her being closed off at school. I didn't like seeing her like that. I wanted her to feel the same way she looked right at that moment. _Happy._ Amazing cerulean eyes met mine at that same instant and I felt my heart flutter when she sent a shy smile my way.

 _I gotta win this thing._

"Whenever you're ready." Letizia stepped infront of Elsa teasingly. I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat pointedly.

"Before I start, I'd just like to say that _if_ I lose. (Which isn't going to happen.)" I grinned cockily at her. "I won't stop trying. I'll keep being Elsa's close friend until I wear you down and you give me permission." As I barely contained a hysterical chuckle at my _valiant_ speech, I clenched my right fist directly over my heart and bowed in mock loyalty. "And now-" I shot back up and pushed the button to signal the song to start. "For the glory!"

Elsa had to look away to keep from laughing at me. Letizia held in her own excitement, but I could tell she was anxiously awaiting to see what I would do.

 _'1,2,3,4!'_

A guitar riff started right after I counted off and I wasted no time in twirling around.

 _'Well, she was just seventeen. You know what I mean. And the way she looked was way beyond compare-'_

Ignoring the utter shock on Elsa's mom's face, I flawlessly slid over and stopped right infront of the gorgeous girl.

 _'So how could I dance with another (Ooh) When I saw her standing there.'_

I took her hand and gingerly spun her around with a goofy grin on my face.

 _'Well she looked at me, and I could see, that before too long, I'd fall in love with her. She wouldn't dance with another (whooh) When I saw her standing there.'_

Another playful spin and soon enough, Elsa and I were moving in perfect sync all across the floor with our eyes never leaving the other's.

 _'Well my heart went 'boom' when I crossed that room and I held her hand in mine._

 _Whoa we danced through the night and we held each other tight. And before too long, I fell in love with her.'_

 _'Now I'll never dance with another-'_ That time, Elsa joined me _'(Whooh!) Since I saw her standing there.'_

By the time the song ended, we were an embracing position I'd learned was called _Abrazo cerrado_.That meant that our chests were practically pressed together and our foreheads touching. Our breathing intermingled, along with idiotic grins on both of our faces.

"You _had_ to use a _Beatles_ song, didn't you?" Letizia would have been frowning if she hadn't been blown away by our performance.

Pulling back from Elsa, I bowed deeply and dropped the mic on to the couch. "You're welcome." I smirked through my somewhat heavy breathing. Dancing and singing right after pizza wasn't the best of ideas.

"Has anyone told you that you're a bit of a show-off?" Elsa's mother retorted with a good-natured chuckle

* * *

 _"You need to get home NOW, young lady!"_ My dad nearly screeched at me, making me yank Elsa's phone away from my ear. _Ouch!_ Blue eyes looked concerned for a moment until the light turned green.

"I-I'm just down the street, dad. Literally two minutes away." I decided to tread carefully while rubbing my poor ear. Off to the side, Elsa snickered quietly before reaching over to pat my leg sympathetically. I shot her crooked smile.

 _"Get your explanations ready."_ He muttered unhappily.

"I'm with Elsa, dad." I decided _not_ to wait until I was in the same vicinity as him. "We ran into each other earlier and decided to hang out...guess the time slipped our minds." I chuckled. "A-and I know I forgot to take my phone."

 _"That's okay, Panda."_ My dad finally huffed, having the majority of his fumes blown over at my earlier disappearing act. _"Just come home."_

"I am. I'm here." I nodded like he could see me. Hearing his voice like that made me kick myself once more. _I'm an idiot. Sorry dad._ After we hung up, I looked back at Elsa. "Well. Looks like goodnight, Snow Paw." Letting a smile grace my lips.

"Okay, _Gattina."_ She whispered before tucking an invisible hair behind my ear. "I'm glad we were able to- th-that we didn't-"

" _Ssh._ " I held my pointer up to her full lips. "I had so much fun tonight and now that I've got permission," With another grin, I leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss. "I say we aren't allowed to bring up what _could_ have happened had _you_ not come to your senses." I couldn't help but poke fun at her, loving the many ways she reacted to them.

"Ha-ha." Elsa rolled her eyes before catching my face to give me a proper kiss goodnight.

* * *

 _A/N: 'When I saw her standing there. (Aaah!)' *dances around like an idiot*_

 _I own nothing._

 _Happy New Year everyone! I hope there are some realistic resolutions out there (if not, it's fine cause mine are all already fallen through. Heh.) Anyway, I hope y'all liked the chapter. It took some time to figure out how it was going to go down, but after_ no _deliberation, it's here^^_

 _Thanks for reading and whatnot._

 _Tootles~_


	23. The Count of Syrup Fingers

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

At the Gym.

 _Smack!_

The sound of leather smashing against leather sounded in one corner of the gym followed by a steady panting. No one came around so early on a Saturday and since the owner of _Sly's Gym_ was one of my dad's old boxing buddies, the very sweet, Sylvester let me in without a question when I showed up at the crack of dawn.

 _Slap!_

Skin against leather that time and a kick strong enough to make the heavy bag swing back on its short metal chain. I took a step back and continued to gasp in slight exertion before bouncing around on the balls of my feet. While I was at it, I tossed my head to the side so I could get a few strands of sweat-dampened hair out of my face.

"Come on." I rumbled, exhaling forcibly as I put my entire body into a massive elbow attack at the center of the bag and followed up with a left hook to a slightly higher point. I'd started out with a clear mind, going through the motions of warming up and whatnot, but as numerous bothersome thoughts kept creeping back in, I suddenly found myself glaring austerely at the heavy bag. "Stupid." I skipped back a few steps and connected again with a spin-kick. It was hard enough to make the fastening in the ceiling to groan in protest.

With a sudden malevolent grin, I landed two quick jabs before completing a 1-2-3 combo. "To say _you fight like a girl_ would be a compliment!" Came my voice in a patronizing tone to myself. As I circled the bag like a predator, I didn't hear the door behind me open and did another vindictive spin-kick. On cue, Ariel Simmons' mocking face appeared in my vision. My nose flared irritably as I got back into a proper stance. I wasn't mad at _Ariel_ directly, I just hated what she was _doing_. To Elsa. Fallon. And at how poorly I'd handled it all.

 _Smack!_

I let my emotions run away from me and in turn caused my dad grief.

 _Wham!_

It went down on my permanent records.

 _Sock!_

I made a fool out of myself _and_ apparently pushed my friends away to do it.

 _Bam! POW!_

 _Ah. Them. My friends. Can't forget them._ That time, a harsh exhale left me as I thought about the things my so-called _friends_ told me all those days ago. _'How stupid can you be, Anna? There's no way you're getting out of this one. I thought you were quitting all that nonsense!'_ Kristoff. _'You're so selfish, Anna. Did you forget that I have a play coming up? It's important to me and I thought that mattered to you. Guess I was wrong.'_ Olaf. His scorning hurt me worse than Kristoff's. _'I don't see how everyone's problems should concern you anyway. They're all big girls and you don't gotta be the all mighty protector of each one.'_ Alice. _'I think if you were just honest with the rest of us, we could have done more to support you.'_ Kida.

My dad hadn't said anything after I'd told him the full truth of it involving Elsa. I even went as far as explaining _everything_ about her to him. (Including our budding relationship.) Nevertheless, I could still see the sheer disappointment in his weary eyes at my irresponsibility. It had been one of those times that he didn't really know how to handle me, so he said nothing while I holed myself up in my room.

I hadn't thought about all of that until Elsa dropped me off a couple nights ago. It made my morning mood as sour as could be and I wasted no time in heading to the only place I knew I could punch something without getting in trouble for it.

Beads of sweat rolled into my eyes, making me wince at the prickling sensation and bring my arm up to wipe at my forehead. "I get it, okay?" I muttered angrily, baring my teeth as my eyes batted to get my vision back. "I'm a corrupt, egotistical, ungrateful friend and daughter. I'm an imprudent hand full." Came my vicious snarl in finality. My fists and feet met the bag with powerful hits and kicks a few more times until I heard a single voice that burst through my entirety.

"Anna."

My body froze on instinct, making me also snap out of the downward unending thoughts I'd been practically drowning in. I instantly began to try to calm my erratic breathing as the last bits of sneers and trash-talk from Ariel, disappointment from Kristoff, and utter hurt from Olaf and my dad, faded from my cloudy mind. _Nice going, Stupid. She probably thinks you're a complete nut now._ Without turning all the way around, I half glanced to the side and caught a quick glimpse of a familiar figure standing a few feet behind me. _Great._

My gloved hands came up to steady the punching bag before I gingerly leaned my forehead against the cool surface, trying to get the bubbling anger inside of me under some degree of control once again. "How long have you been standing there?" I asked breathlessly, noting just how _clear_ my echo was in the tiny open space. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she'd heard more than I would have liked _anyone_ to have heard.

 _Just great._

But, instead of answering me right away, I felt somewhat warm hands settle on my bare, glistening shoulders and remained quiet as she then pulled me over to the benches on the other side of the small gym. My shoulders slumped in defeat and I wordlessly plopped down and resorted to watching long, slender, gentle fingers began to untie the leather around my wrists. "I come here to work out since I figure no one really knows where this place is." The softly accented voice informed me, although without a single hint of reproach. "I didn't think I'd see you until later."

At the restrained flash of cerulean I got after she said that, I let myself finally let out a large sigh. "Sorry." I murmured, closing my eyes and thumping the back of my head against the wall behind me. "You weren't supposed to see...or _hear_ any of that." The last thing I wanted to do was appear weak infront of her, regardless that it might have been an important step. I felt I wasn't quite ready to be comforted yet.

Having to be dependent on myself while my dad tried his best to put his heart back together after mom died, left me…scared. Vulnerable. I wasn't sure how to express my anger and hurt since I never wanted to talk about it with anyone. Even if they gently probed, I just didn't want it and now?

 _"Gattina-"_

Elsa Mariani had seen me exposed up close and personal.

"I-I had to take it out on something." I concluded while keeping my eyes away from the gorgeous girl. There was _no_ way I was going to cry. Not infront of her. No matter _how_ sweet she was going to be about the whole thing.

"I understand." Elsa answered softly, completely taking me by surprise.

My eyes popped open to see that she had finished untying one glove and then shifted her attention to my other hand. The earnest and tender way in which she said it made me believe that she wasn't just spouting nonsense. No. Bringing my eyes back to her concentrated gaze, I couldn't help but give her a weak smile when she looked up and smiled familiarly at me. She _did_ understand. And she _wasn't_ going to coax me into talking about it unless I wanted to.

 _Ugh, why is she so perfect?_

I patiently waited until my other hand was free before I slid off the bench to kneel infront of her. Elsa backed up and eventually sat down to make some room between us while I lightly grasped onto her slim, cloth-covered hips and then leaned in to softly place my forehead against her stomach. I was able to catch her short intake of breath, but in the next minute, my legs flattened out until I was lying in her lap and my eyes once again fell shut as I felt my ponytail being loosened. Elsa's fingers purposefully raked through my hair and it calmed the raging emotions in me like nothing else had ever done before.

"Thank you, Snow Paw." I murmured gratefully. No tears fell or even stung at my eyes, but I finally allowed myself to accept that she was here and that she saw me. It wasn't like _I_ hadn't seen her break before anyway. (Even if our reasons for doing so were completely different.)

There was a soft sigh before Elsa's hand gave the base of my neck a gentle scratch. "Anytime, _Gattina."_

Another small smile spread across my lips as I wordlessly linked my fingers behind her so that she was loosely trapped in my arms.

We stayed like that for a few more blissful moments until I suddenly lifted myself and pulled away with my face as red as a fire engine. _W-what am I doing?!_ _She just shows up out of nowhere and here I am spilling all my sweat on her!_ "U-uh- I'm- that doesn't-" I tried to apologize, but was cut off by a lone finger to my sputtering mouth. That finger was immediately replaced with full pink lips, making my eyes widen in surprise before leaning back to question her silently since my brain refused to come up with anything else at the moment.

"Hush, Anna." Elsa whispered, pushing my hair behind my ear while making sure I kept my eyes on hers. "This is a side of you I haven't seen before and it's nothing you should be ashamed of. Not with me." She smiled at me once more and then reached up to purposefully squeeze my cheek like a toddler's. "You're always this indestructible, confident, sweet and _amazing_ girl who can take a ton of hits from whomever and then give them right back." Her lips touched mine then. " _Sei il mio eroe_." The words were whispered into my mouth as her soft hands came up to cup my face.

I didn't know what that last part meant, but I didn't couldn't care less. At the moment. Right then, my hands were too busy burying themselves in her crazy soft hair at the same time I met her satiny lips. The contact deepened almost immediately and at the constant approval of Elsa's lips moving against mine, made an electrical charge shoot through my body, which resulted in a slow exhale. Not two seconds later did I feel the same warmth hit me and I instantly smiled at the sensation. Elsa Mariani always managed to drive me crazy. This time was no exception.

* * *

Afterwards.

"We were there for an hour and a half and you spent the entire time running. Is that all you do when you go to the gym?" I finally got to ask after we crossed the street get to her shiny beetle. _Although_ , the numerous hypnotic images of her doing just that were _so_ fresh in my mind that I feared I would stumble over my own two feet any second now. Or faint. Because she had worked herself into a sweat with those eyes so focused, her platinum blonde hair swaying from side-to-side, the way her whole body turned into a machine after twenty full minutes walking, power-walking and eventually running. Those shorts. _Legs._ That black tank top.

 _Mercy._ I had to stop thinking about it. I just had to.

Elsa, on the other hand, only smirked to herself as she opened the passenger door so she could clear off the seat for me. " _You're_ the show-off, remember?" She winked at me when she passed by to put her gym bag, laptop, and a few folders into the trunk of her beetle. I rolled my eyes with a smirk and followed her so I could put my bag there too.

"Yeah, I know." I stated arrogantly and then snickered, when she teasingly threatened to smack me. Taking an exaggerated step back, I began to drawl, "Well, I guess that's none of my business, huh? Wouldn't want to know just _how_ you keep that magnific-" My eyes widened at what had almost made it's way out of my mouth and I covered it by clearing my throat loudly. "A-anyway." I chuckled, handing her my bag. _Good thing it's cold out here. I can blame this stupid blush on the temperature!_ And there was a deep flush to my cheeks, I could tell by my reflection in the windows.

"I do the same things you do, _Gattina._ No big deal." Elsa granted me some sort of relief with a suddenly shy smile before turning her attention back to organizing her trunk. At that bit of information, I had to raise a curious brow at her. _The same things?_ When she didn't elaborate, I kept quiet on purpose and let a smug grin slip into place on my lips. Blue eyes glanced back at me for an instant before she looked away while her pretty face began to adopt a slight flush. Just the reaction I wanted. "What?" She closed the trunk. I said nothing, but stepped closer with the same look on my face. " _What?_ " Elsa's face began to tint even more since I wasn't backing down.

"You were watching me?" I finally asked.

Her hands came up to cover her eyes and a light giggle escaped her lips. "What? I'm not allowed to look?"

Now it was my turn to look away in embarrassment as a bigger blush spread across my face, wiping the smirk off my face while it was at it. _Sweet Freyja, this girl!_ "I...I-I guess that's...that's fine." I somehow managed, pushing a hand through my still damp hair.

 _Sly's Gym_ was too small to have any sort of public shower, so Elsa and I agreed that once we were finished we would get something to eat and then wash up at my place. My place since she had yet to see it _and_ my dad wasn't going to be there since he and Oaken went fishing earlier that morning.

"You're funny." Elsa giggled fondly and then stepped infront of me. "As if _you_ weren't watching me."

Again, those various images filtered into my mind. "Well, that's because you're so...so-" I vaguely gestured to her entirety. "You know."

"So?" She prodded playfully, eyebrow raising along her forehead.

"Uhh-" I couldn't say it. No way. "L-let's go get something to eat, hm?" _So, she was watching me do squats...bench presses...and dead lifts?_ After that, I simply messed around on the elliptical until she finally decided to stop running.

I only hoped I looked at least looked a little _cool_ doing them and not like I was severely out of shape.

* * *

The Breakfast Place.

"Wait. Wait. What on earth is _that_?" Elsa questioned and stared with wide blue eyes at what I had just ordered us. "Weren't- didn't we just work out?" She managed to stammer her utter disbelief while I hummed quietly to myself, oblivious to the world around me.

"Yeah?" I was too busy putting lids on our large cups of orange juice to see her cringing. "Trust me, you haven't lived until you've had a waffle taco." I wasn't sure how much she ate considering she only had two slices of pizza the other night, but to be safe, I ordered eight. I planned on eating more than three.

"Anna-"

That time I turned to see her giving me such a skeptical look that I had to chuckle at her. Before she could get after me for my _awesome_ taste in post-workout breakfasts, I held a hand up professionally. " _Exercise elevates levels of the fat-burning hormone adrenalin._ "

"Oh, really?" Elsa asked, crossing her arms with a frown.

So I continued. "Yes. _When you work out after eating, the insulin your body releases to help you digest the food. Result: You burn less fat."_ I finished in a snobbish voice, quite pleased with myself at that. "Again, trust me: I'm a practicing health-nutrition doctor."

"You are such a _dork!"_ Elsa couldn't stop the laugh from erupting as her frown instantly broke and she face palmed. I let my own stupid grin capture my lips while taking her hand, (and our food) and lead us out so we could get to my place before I got the chance to eat everything without her.

* * *

In the Bug.

"Penelope."

"Pikachu."

"Blue."

"Buggy."

"Samantha."

"Smurf."

Blue eyes suddenly glared at me. "My car would _not_ liked to be called 'Smurf' thank you very much."

"Smurfette?" I prodded. _Seriously, the chick has blonde hair and blue eyes._ With a mischievous grin, I placed my hand on top of hers to discretely get a feel of how it was to shift when we moved forward or stopped. Holding her hand was just a very welcomed bonus.

"Smurfette?" She asked, switching our hands so that hers was on top. When the time came, I stuck my tongue out and shifted before she even had the chance to push the clutch correctly. The car immediately emitted an ugly grinding sound in which Elsa felt compelled to pinch my hand for.

"Ow!" I yelped. "Don't go blaming me when you weren't fast enough."

"You were supposed to wait until I squeezed your hand."

"Now you tell me." I smiled sweetly at her and it earned me another pinch. "Stop it."

"Make me."

"If we crash, it's your fault, my lovely." I replied while gripping her hand and pulling it away from the stick so I could press our hands to my chest, fully prepared to shift with my right since my left was occupied with hers.

"Anna, there are people behin-"

"Hurry, Snow Paw! CLUTCH!"

* * *

Home Sweet Home.

Once Elsa (safely) put her bug in park infront of my house, she was still grinning from ear to ear, but once she got out, her jaw dropped. I was already carrying our food and was waiting for her to open the trunk so I could grab my bag too. At seeing her stunned face, I turned to look at what she was ogling. _Ah._

"Now I see how _I_ looked when I first set foot in your apartment." I commented, reaching over to poke her in the ribs. That seemed to jolt her back from her shock and she continued to open the trunk. Instead of handing me my bag, she slung it over her shoulder and took a change of clothes out of her bag as opposed to taking both bags in. I made it a point to take her gym clothes for her so I could wash them when we got inside.

"You didn't tell me you lived in a house." She breathed.

"Townhouse." I corrected before digging around in my shorts for my house keys. "I'm sure _your_ other house was _spectacular, spectacular!_ " My voice came out as _Harold Zidler_ as I quickly snatched my keys and threw my free hand out.

Elsa giggled at the action. " _No words in the vernacular. Can't describe this great event,"_ She continued, making my eyes widen in surprise. _Oh, she just became so much cooler!_

" _You'll be dumb with wonderment ."_ I finished before nudging her side playfully. "So you _do_ venture further than _Supernatural._ What's your favorite movie?" I caught myself and added the question before she got the chance to smack me again.

"What do you think my favorite movie is?" She asked as we slowly made our way to up the short path to the front door. After unlocking it and pushing the door open with my foot, I turned back to examine her with a critical eye.

Elsa Mariani seemed like the romance type, but what kind? _She knows what Moulin Rouge is, she drives a beetle, her taste in music consists of more of the old school stuff..._ " _Casablanca?"_ I tried with a partly squinted eye. _The Sopranos?_ No way.

"A good movie, but no." Elsa gave nothing more away and walked in once I held the door open for her. "Definite top five, though."

My mind went through all that I was able to see on their entertainment center while I was trying to choose a song and I came up empty. _She did say that Casablanca was top five._ " _The Three Musketeers?"_

"You have the idea." She nodded.

 _"Robin Hood?"_ I snapped my fingers. " _Waterworld!"_

"If I tell you, will you give me a tour?" Elsa was already looking around, but stopped once she asked me.

 _"The Man in the Iron Mask."_ I narrowed my eyes at her, biting my lip in more thought when she shook her head. _Come on, Anna! There's gotta be-_ I dropped the food on the table and spun on my heel with excited eyes. _"The Count of Monte Cristo!"_ I declared triumphantly.

Blue eyes widened in surprise. "H-how did you-"

"Because _my_ favorite movie is _V for Vendetta."_ I shrugged and gently extracted my bag from her shoulder so I could take it back up to my room.

"That's hardly an explanation, _Gattina."_ Elsa called after me.

 _It's no response at all._ But, a smug grin plastered to my face anyway as I gestured for her to follow me. At the top of the stairs, I pointed to my left. "That's the master bedroom where my dad dwells and where I'll be taking a shower." Leading her to the right, down a short hall, I jabbed my thumb out. "Towels are in there and the bathroom is here," My hand touched another door across from the skinny closet. "And _this_ -" I turned to see that Elsa was right behind me, having already noted where everything was. "This is where the magic happens." I joked and opened the door to my room.

Elsa sucked in a breath while I had the pleasure of watching those icy blue eyes fill with wonderment. My room wasn't as impressive as a certain student council president's, but it was what I was comfortable with. Looking through her eyes, I saw an unmade bed with a big gray and red comforter, four matching pillows scattered about, and a stuffed red panda directly in the middle of the bed. All of which connected to a drawer that was the same length as my bed and acted as a pseudo couch to the TV that was positioned on a book case right on the other side of my bed. A good amount of movies filled the spaces under the TV and just above that was a window that spread all the way across the room.

"Excuse the mess." I chuckled, placing my bag on my dresser, next to my alarm clock/stereo.

"Are those vinyl records?" Elsa was looking up over my bed.

"Yup. My LPs range from _Miles Davis_ to the _West Side Story Soundtrack._ " I folded my arms and discretely kicked a dirty sock across the room to my closet. At night I sometimes fell asleep with my socks and almost always ended up with only one on the next morning. _So goes most of my socks being lost somewhere for weeks at a time._ Luckily, nothing else was out of place, other than my messy desk, bed, and the iPod I'd left plugged in.

Elsa curiously walked over to my desk and picked up a comic of none other than _V for Vendetta._ "You weren't kidding." She smiled sweetly at me, making me grin back and shrug my shoulders.

"It's a pretty epic movie." I nodded to myself. "Have you seen it?" When she only shook her head, I let out a disgruntled groan. _Need to fix that._ Instead of voicing my thoughts right off the bat, I took her arm and lead her back towards the restroom. "You can do more sight-seeing after we stick to our plans of showering and then eating, okay?"

On the way out, she placed my comic back on my dresser with another shy smile on her face.

* * *

Back downstairs.

A delightful sound escaped Elsa's lips as she took her first bite of waffle taco that I took the liberty of warming back up since they were fairly cold by the time we got to them. I would have gotten chills from hearing her emit somethings as... _delicious?_ as that, but I was too busy trying to stuff as much food as I could into my mouth without choking. I was hungry!

"This is really good." Elsa managed after licking her lips. I could see that she'd missed a sliver of syrup, so I decided to wipe it for her.

"You know?" I smirked at her, swallowed and then continued, "If we ever break up, _you_ have to go back to being boring, while I go on with my awesome self." Before she had a chance to retort, I stuck my thumb in my mouth to suck off the syrup I'd gathered from her chin.

"Well, _that's_ comforting." Elsa rolled her eyes, pushing her still damp hair to the other side of her shoulder and I had the satisfying view of seeing her blush at my stealthy move with the syrup. "I thought _you_ said not to bring something like that up."

"I know." I chuckled self-consciously and then moved my chair closer to her. "It was something that I thought about when you said you hadn't seen _V for Vendetta_ and I made an important mental note to watch it with you once we're done here."

She snorted at the serious way I said it. "Have you seen _Count of Monte Cristo?"_

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded enthusiastically. "I like the 1934 film with Robert Donat as _Edmond Dantes_. The more recent one is _okay_ , but I like the black and white one." After another bite, I looked back at her. "Another favorite of mine is _Singing in the Rain."_

"You're something else, _Gattina."_ Elsa replied in awe before leaning in to nudge her head against my temple fondly. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then set my waffle down so I could lift her head until our eyes met.

"So are you, Snow Paw." My lips met the tip of her nose. "I'm glad I thought to break that window." I added earnestly.

"I'm sort of glad you did too." Elsa whispered, pursing her lips when my lips touched hers. She then pulled back to squeeze my cheek between her thumb and forefinger pointedly. "No one is to learn of that either."

"Hey, my lips are sealed." I put my hands up defensively and waited for her to let my cheek go. " _Barbie._ "

"Bambi." Elsa snarked back, smearing syrup on the cheek she'd just squeezed. Instead of wiping it off, I made it a point to glide my finger across her cheek too. Her eyes tightened playfully and I wasted no time in jamming my overflowing waffle to her mouth. Not enough to smash the entire thing against her, but enough to get a good amount of syrup on her lips and part of her chin. "Anna!"

"That's my name!" I roared with laughter, running away from her when she raised her own waffle threateningly at me. As she chased me around the living room, I could see the clear _joy_ on her beautiful face. _I_ was responsible for that look.

There was _no_ way to describe what I felt right after that thought.

* * *

 _A/N: 'How deep is your love? I really mean to learn._  
 _'Cause we're living in a world of fools. Breaking us down, when they all should let us be._  
 _We belong to you and me...'_

 _I own nothing! (But if you know the song right there and have seen the movies mentioned...You, Sir, Ma'am, are an awesome person! Keep it up.)_

 _I know I'm kinda uploading WGT and F &I quicker than this one, but THOSE ones are already written for a few chapters. THIS one is one of my usual day-by-day/write-in-one-sitting stories. So bear with me please. Of course, when I get in the zone with this one, I pretty much need to get checked for cavities XD_

 _Anyway, hope y'all liked it. Thanks for reading and whatnot. Reviews= motivation and happiness!_

 _Tootles~_


	24. Ti voglio bene

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

First day back at school.

"I will be keeping a _close_ eye on you, Crescent." Coach was already once again in my face and I kept my ground by crossing my arms infront of me aggressively.

Seeing his unpleasant mug first thing in the morning had my mood abruptly turn for the worse. "Oh. Like how closely you _already_ were before I got-" I started to take a hostile step forward when a flash of blonde appeared beside me.

"There you are, Anna." Elsa took my arm to stop me from advancing and even went as far as dragging me back to a safer distance. "You _just_ got back, _Gattina_. _Cosa stai facendo?"_ She whispered in my ear before discretely pinching my hand since the rest of my arms were covered under my thick sleeves. I curled my lip over my teeth in building irritation, but easily dropped it once I considered those profound icy blues. ' _Please stop it'_ written all up in them. "Don't worry, Mr. Smoot. I believe _I'm_ the one that needs to keep a better eye on my personal assistant from now on." She then looked from me to him with a guarded face and small guaranteeing smile.

Unfazed, Coach straightened back up with that stupid maddening sneer still in place. "Yes. Maybe if _you_ had kept a better eye on _this_ little troublemaker in the first place she wouldn't be at the very top of all of the teachers' cautionary lists."

When he first showed signs of resentment toward my Snow Paw, I instinctively stepped back infront of her with my own sneer etched on my face at him. _Raise a single finger to her I will slap it away._ "Hey, don't go blaming Miss Mariani when she has _other_ things to worry about." I snapped, letting my voice coat itself in venom. "This is on me and I take full responsibility for my actions." I was sure the fire I felt, radiated through his eyes too as we stared challengingly at one another.

"Anna." Elsa hissed, gripping my arm with another silent plea for me to settle down. Too bad I was already a little too riled up. Why? Because I hadn't even gone to my first class yet when the freakishly tall Coach unexpectedly cornered me and began laying it all on me like he'd been saving two weeks' worth of criticism until I eventually showed up back at school. _Douchebag._

Instead of heeding Elsa's request, I clenched my fists and glared at the man. "No. Let's just go back to you picking on me for none other than the sole reason that I'm the daughter of _Benjamin Crescent Jr_." I said through my teeth, finally having had enough of his aggravating antics.

"...What?" He growled dangerously.

Rolling my eyes, I continued, " _Please._ It's no mystery that you and my dad were rivals for the affections of one lovely Eliza Jensen back in the day." I huffed, still keeping his heated gaze with my own. "Since she ended up choosing my dad, _you_ then declared that he was your mortal enemy from that day forth and since you can't seem to step up to him yourself (much less, just let it go) you feel the uncanny need to dump out all that stupid frustration on _me_. Their only daughter." I fought the tears that threatened to spill over at the very mention of my mother in public. Not to mention the unfathomable fact that _I_ was my dad's only other reminder that she was real. That she'd been alive at one point in time. "And you're nothing but an unbearable, chauvinistic, jerk-wad for it."

During my outburst, Elsa's hand had slid down my arm where her fingers intertwined with mine.

" _Oohhh-!_ " The crowd I hadn't noticed before taunted from behind us. Finally, my glare broke to sweep around, seeing a good amount of people standing there in the hall. (Olaf, Kida and Kristoff as well.)

"Shall I escort you to the office?" Coach suddenly looked nervous at having so many people as my witness.

"Wait. Is that true?" Elsa asked me after successfully pulling me back out of his personal space and standing infront of me once again. She, herself, had seen the way Coach and I acted around each other before, so now that I had deliberately spilled the beans, she looked a lot more concerned than she did two seconds ago. Honestly, I didn't plan on going off on him in the middle of the main hall, on a Monday of all days, but now that I was on a roll, I couldn't stop even if I tried.

"Do you realize that my mother is _gone_?" I asked the man-bear brokenly from over Elsa's shoulder. It hurt me to say that out loud to all of these other students too, because who knew what was going to stem from it? Even so, I refused to cry. Not infront of the likes of him. Them. And when Coach didn't answer, I exhaled a sharp breath and side-stepped the now astonished girl standing in my line of vision. "Well, she is, no matter how hard my dad and I wish she wasn't. And, Jacob Smoot III? I am getting so damn _sick_ of taking your relentless crap day in and day out!"

"That's enough!" He barked, face reddening in anger.

"Yes!" I shot back, gripping Elsa's hand instead of lashing out like I so badly wanted to. "It _is_ enough and I am not going to hesitate to speak my mind anymore every time you open that gargantuan pie-hole of yours to insult and blame _me_ for everything when you're only looking to get back at my dad by pinning something stupid on me to get me in trouble!" Instead of waiting for him to retort, I turned to lead Elsa straight through the crowd while they cheered us on like idiots. They even reached out to pat either Elsa's shoulder or mine as we parted through them.

We even brushed right between Olaf and Kristoff and continued walking without so much as a single glance back.

* * *

 _"...Anna Crescent..."_

 _"Yeah! She totally stood up to Smoot!"_

 _"Ugh! That guy gets on my nerves. All the time."_

 _"...Elsa Mariani..."_

 _"...dating?"_

 _"They're sooo cool!"_

 _"...beat the crap out of Ariel Simmons..."_

 _"She stood up for that Fallon girl..."_

 _"Hey, I have her in two of my classes."_

 _"She's my hero!"_

 _"Elsa's freaking gorgeous...and now I see that Anna is too."_

 _"They're actually kinda cute together."_

 _"...started out in the boardroom with Mariani..."_

 _"No way!"_

 _"According to two weeks ago, Elsa Mariani belongs to Anna Crescent."_

 _"Anna is awesome!"_

 _"...that red hair and freckles? Totally beautiful combination."_

 _"Elsa is such a vixen."_

 _"A classic girl and a rebel."_

 _"I can totally ship them!"_

And on the gossip chain went as classes trudged along.

* * *

Lunch.

All morning I did my best _not_ to get into any more fights (verbal or not) since I'd been shaken up pretty seriously right off the bat.

Being reminded of my mother in the heat of battle always seemed to unhinge me a bit. Whether I was in school or at the gym didn't matter. It always left me feeling raw, worn out, hurt, and extremely predisposed to everything around me. I did _not_ like that sensitivity whatsoever. So much so that I hadn't even thought to try to reconcile with any of my friends yet. Not today. Not when I was like this. Mainly, because I didn't want to risk blowing up at them too. I had no real idea how stable I was, but once Elsa came to rescue me just before even lunch started, I felt more relieved than I had been since I got out of my dad's car that morning.

"I think you should talk to them, _Gattina._ " Elsa whispered into the top of my head.

"No thanks." I protested. "I just got done telling Smoot off. What makes you think I won't try to bite their heads off too?"

"They're your friends, Anna." Elsa replied in a steady voice. She knew I wasn't as calm as I could have been, but that didn't stop her from trying to let me see reason once again. I blew out a harsh breath, watching as it materialized and then disappeared infront of me. If it was cold, I couldn't tell at the moment.

" _Friends_ wouldn't make you feel like crap whenever you see them." I folded my arms and slumped against the wall we were sitting by.

"Shouldn't that just mean that they love you enough to call you out?"

"Yeah, and then rub it in your face every time you make a mistake." I huffed irritably. "Like, right now, I can bet they're talking about me running off with you rather than them."

"Anna." Elsa sighed gently before scooting closer to me. "Don't you think that's a little-?"

"Ridiculous?" I asked, actually cracking a smile and then nudged her shoulder playfully. "I can't exactly be mad at you, Snow Paw. So don't be afraid to tell me when I'm being weird."

"Well, good." She giggled. "I've seen what happens when people get on your bad side."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "That bad, huh? No wonder I get in trouble so easily."

There was a short contemplative pause until she spoke up again. "You...you _know_ that's not the actual reason, right?"

I suddenly frowned up in confusion at her. _What?_ "I would think so." I answered impassively. "I mean, I'm in the office a lot and I have lunch detention at least three times out of the week...that, _or_ the staff just _loves_ me too much to leave me alone." My hands came up, "Ah, and let's not forget those memorable suspensions of mine."

" _Gattina,_ look at me." Elsa's warm hands cupped my face so she could do just that. Looking into those deep, revealing eyes, I had no choice but to shut up and listen. "Some of the teachers have no problem telling you that you're a troublemaker and sometimes, _sometimes_ you are, but if you actually stop to look at what you've done," She pushed a soothing hand through my fringe. "The _real_ reasons you were suspended _both_ times was because you were protecting someone." Her voice dipped in sweetness. "You talk back because you manage to pick out things aren't fair and when you think about it, the only person you really did that with was Smoot."

"I-" I was at a loss of words as her own tumbled around in my head. It was true. Yes, the boardroom window was only an excuse to talk to her and I got in trouble for it, but since that day, I hadn't even thought to do anything like that again. Lunch detention was mainly because I forgot to spit my gum out (so that was on me.) Talking back to Smoot usually ended with a trip to the office, which the Weasel was compelled to let me go when I told him Smoot was merely pestering me. Breaking Ariel Simmons' nose the first time and getting suspended for it was because of her talking trash about Elsa. Eventually beating her to a pulp was because she made Elsa cry..."Whoa." Was all I could manage.

"I think it's safe to say that you have righteous anger, Anna." Elsa suddenly giggled. "I'm sorry I didn't notice your immense chivalry when I should have. And the fact that everything you do has a purpose." With a slight disbelieving chuckle, I dropped my head on her shoulder. _Wow._ Who knew she... _cared_ so much? It was hard for me to wrap my head around, but before I could say or think anything else, she kissed the top of my head. "Now that you know all of that, shall we go find your friends? I'll be happy to be there with your reconciliation, if you want."

My eyes immediately widened in shock. _A-after all that?!_ No way was I going to pull away from this tender moment of stunning realization. "What, you're not enough to comfort me right now, Snow Paw?" I mumbled tiredly, snuggling closer to her for more body warmth since we were sitting out on the roof and it was starting to snow. _But, maybe we should go back in._ The last thing I wanted to do was catch a cold.

"Well," Elsa breathed close to contentedly. "Considering I always get to see _la mia ragazza_ being such an awesome, bulletproof person around school and then suddenly getting to see that she has _so_ much more depth than everyone gives her credit for outside of it," There was a pause as her arm squeezed me a little tighter, "I think I'm qualified to comfort you, Anna."

I couldn't stop the chuckle from bubbling out of me after she said all that, yet a _few_ things from earlier stuck in my mind. "Thank you, Snow Paw. You were there this time." I decided to keep my questions to myself for the moment so I could enjoy the rest of lunch with her, regardless that we hadn't actually eaten anything.

"Of course, _Gattina._ " Elsa lifted my head to press a meaningful chaste kiss to my lips. "Unlike before, I'd like to be there for you _now._ " Our eyes met and I could feel her hot breath against my face as I watched her electric blues carefully taking me in.

 _I adore you._ With a soft sigh, I reached up to slide my hand through the silky tresses at her temple and I had the pleasurable sensation of her shivering in response to my touch. A sudden tug to the back of my own head had my eyes closing and I exhaled gently as our mouths met again. Elsa's naturally sweet-smelling scent mixed with the smell of frost and instantly wiped all other thoughts about the unpleasant morning away with each movement of lips between us. No longer jagged and torn up, I now felt smooth and silky. Just like her kisses. Warm like the indulgent exhales that brushed over my skin and conveying what had to be a pretty strong dose of security because the closer I got, the closer she wanted to too.

I heard Elsa gasp as I suddenly pressed against her, so ready to lift myself up on my knees so I could straddle her. I only got as far as easing her back against the wall and moving my hands until one was carefully placed on her hip while the other tangled itself in her luscious locks before she deepened the kiss. I used my teeth gently because it felt like the right thing to do, plus I didn't want to end up biting into her lip again. To my surprise, I was rewarded with a small, half-strangled moan from her as I lightly nibbled. That delicious sound slithered over my tongue and sent an almost violent shudder rushing all along my spine, warming me to the bone. I swear my whole body pulsated.

 _That sound. So sexy..._

The thought cause me to stop.

Of course, I knew what the word meant and how it was supposed to be used, but me _actually_ putting it into real-life context was different. _So_ different. It ultimately changed the word. The whole meaning was now so much more important, especially when it was shaped around someone like Elsa Mariani.

It fit. Elsa, _my_ Elsa, was sexy.

 _Now_ , a few some things inside of me were shivering and would tense up in ways that weren't exactly uncomfortable. I had to wonder what the foreign feeling was, but as those normally cerulean colored eyes opened and I witnessed them to be more of an indigo color, I determined that previous feeling to be none other than, _desire._ A low rumble made its way out of my throat once my body thrummed passionately again just from realizing that I could actually identify with it. I could _feel_ it.

Although, I wasn't there. Not yet.

So when Elsa pulled back, I watched attentively as she took a breath, licked her lips and then smiled. "S-should we get back inside?" Came her soft reply.

"Ye- mhmm." I chose to keep my mouth shut and nodded, lest I blurt out something embarrassing.

We slowly stood up at the same time and I couldn't resist brushing the light coat of snow off her beautiful hair and shoulders with an idiotic grin. New-found thoughts now swirled around in my head as I openly observed at her. I'd looked at her before, _lots_ of times, but not with these new sensations. Not through these new eyes. It was like a whole other part of my brain had opened, letting me experience an almost foreign kaleidoscope of feelings. _Sexy. She's so sexy._

"What are you thinking about, _Gattina?"_ Elsa questioned as she dusted snow particles off of me too.

 _You HAD to ask!_ My face instantly warmed up, but I managed to cover it. "I-I was actually wondering what you were saying earlier." I grinned and took her hand, leading her back to the propped open door.

"Which part?" She asked once we shook the rest of our clothes off from residual snowflakes.

"Your Italian parts." I responded, not noticing how _weird_ that sounded until Elsa gave me a particular look. That expression made me drop my face into my hands as my earlier blush came back with a vengeance. "That- I-I meant the things that you-" I snapped my mouth shut and held a hand up, silently counting down from five. All while _not_ looking at her. _Dear Odin where's a rock to hide under when you need one?_ "You said something like; coza stai tendo, or something like that? And la my ragazza?"

Elsa partly stifled a giggle while pushing a hand through her now wet hair to slick it back out of her eyes. I tried not to pay too much attention to the way that made a shiver tremble through my frame. "Um, I think you meant: _Cosa stai facendo?_ And: _la mia ragazza?_ "

"Yes! Spare me _some_ embarrassment, please, Snow Paw." I lamented. I tried to walk down the rest of the stairs without her, but she stealthily caught my arm and slid her hand into mine.

"Okay." There was a smile in her pretty voice. "When I said: _Cosa stai facendo_? I simply asked you what you were doing. And when I said _la mia ragazza_..."

When she didn't answer right away, I had to stop and look at her. We'd made it into the main hall and were heading in the general direction of the boardroom, but since she went shy suddenly, I paused so I could question her with my eyes. Nothing.

She eventually looked away from me.

"What? What's that mean?" I tried to press without sounding impatient. Because I wasn't impatient whatsoever. Just very curious now that she looked embarrassed.

With a charming flush on her cheeks, she leaned in to whisper the meaning into my ear, which ultimately left a nice blush on my face too.

And a new mark on my heart.

* * *

Home.

I had to practically _crawl_ out from under the colossal amount of homework I found myself buried in and had barely made it to the couch before promptly passing out. I wasn't even sure how far I'd gotten with the stacks, but it all didn't matter as my body settled into the cushions for a few blissful minutes.

Alas, all good things (like sleep) must come to an end.

"Anna? Hey, Anna. Wake up." A deep voice broke through my sleep-drenched consciousness along with a light shaking of my shoulder. Normally, my alarm clock was the radio blasting whatever channel I'd last left it on, so someone saying my name automatically made me groan unhappily as sleep began to flee once more.

"What century is it?" I muttered blearily, turning over and snuggling back into the cushions. _Go away._

"About seven-thirty? Twenty-first century, that is." Another voice answered.

My eye cracked open to see three other different pairs of eyes staring at me as they were carefully seated around the couch I had been passed out on. I grimaced. _7:30?!_ That meant that I'd been asleep all of twenty minutes! The absurd thought made me throw my arm over my eyes in sleepy annoyance. "What do _you_ three haters want?" I murmured.

"I told you she wasn't going to like us barging in on her!" Olaf whispered.

"Something tells me that _nothing_ we say is going to make her like us again." Kida was next to say. Miserably, at that. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

"We _did_ kinda give her the Cold-Shoulder for two weeks." Kristoff finished. _Is that all?_

With a cranky groan, I managed to pull myself up so I could glare at them. "Again: what do you want? I'm still in not that great a mood to talk." Before they could say anything more, I directed an apologetic gaze to Olaf. "Sorry I missed your play, buddy. I know how much it meant to you and I screwed it up." _Better to apologize now, if anything._

It wasn't that I wasn't ready to start talking to them again, I just wasn't sure how I felt about it. I mean, _yes,_ I may have messed with our friendship by not telling them about Elsa and eventually getting suspended because of it, but I couldn't just get over the fact that they'd basically kept asking me how completely s _tupid_ I could be to do something like that in the first place. Granted, I'm not that smart, but they _all_ managed to hurt my feelings. _Ugh! What a trivial reason!_ I didn't want to feel like the victim since all I've ever done was be there for them and when _I_ did something stupid, they were quick to call me out on it.

I felt betrayed because of that.

And then there was the fact that they'd witnessed the whole incident with Smoot. _Great. Cue the pity card._ What made me a little more nervous was that Elsa wasn't there to keep me calm right then.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Olaf replied delicately before reaching a hand out to cover mine. He effectively managed to pull me out of my reverie. "I won't lie about being mad at you for missing out on the play, but it was pretty selfish of me to get so mad at you because of it."

"I just wish you'd told us about Elsa earlier." Kristoff hauled himself up so he could sit next to me. _Guess that was selfish of me too._

"Yeah. No need to make a spectacle of yourself because Ariel was picking on her." Kida sighed. I directed a scowl at her, which she ended up grinning at before joining us on the couch too. "Okay, I admit that you rearranging that vile redhead's face was top-notch awesomesauce!"

"Enough!" Olaf barked at them, coming to my defense. "It was stupid for _all_ of us to get so bent out of shape for handling problems that could have been resolved with a level head."

"I couldn't sit by and do nothing, you know." I muttered, looking away from them to check my phone for any new messages. Of course there was one from Elsa about me having any questions about my homework. _Speaking of-_ "And yeah, I should have told you about Elsa before, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of something that might have not even worked out in the end."

"Anna, what are friends for?" Olaf looked at me with those innocent eyes of his. "We're _supposed_ to be there to suffer with you, celebrate with you, _and_ try to give you advice even when we have zero experience in certain areas."

Kristoff spoke up next with a light flaring of his nose. "Yeah. O and I know all about your struggling with Coach since sophomore year and we _would_ have liked to join in on your verbal showdown, but-"

"You went all Helga-Style and took him on by yourself." Kida interjected with her hands waving around in mock-warrior poses.

"For the record: Elsa _was_ there." I added with a suppressed grin, finally beginning to feel like myself around them again.

"Well...maybe that's a good thing." Olaf suddenly chortled and placed himself snugly between Kida and I. "Otherwise we probably would have had to pull you off of _him_ too." He added. And just like that, the restrictive barricades holding all of us back shattered, leaving us all roaring with laughter.

"Oh, that would have been epic!" Kida declared, reaching over to tousle my hair. "I _so_ would pay to see that."

"As long as _I_ got a few punches in too, I would definitely pay to see it." Kristoff was still grinning, but there was a look in his chocolate colored eyes that had me suddenly leaning toward him. When his arm wrapped itself firmly around me, I didn't hesitate to snuggle into his crazy body heat.

"I'm sorry, guys. And Kida." I said after a minute.

"Yeah, we are too." Olaf wrapped himself around me too. "After saying all that junk to you, we wanted to reconcile, like, the next night, but by then, we felt so stupid for blowing up at you and-" He sighed. "I-it didn't help that you didn't want to talk to us either."

"We were just upset that you did all of this _without_ us." Kristoff squeezed me. "We could have helped. No matter how awkward the situation."

"You really are a good person, Anna." Kida decided to speak up, poking my side gently. "Guess that's why you were able to get Elsa Mariani so easily."

I laughed at that. "I love you guys. Kida too." Glancing up, I playfully pinched Kristoff's nose. "And don't worry. From here on out, I'll try to let you in on what I'm thinking. On a _few_ things. Right, Kida?" I turned to wink at her. She smirked back.

"I don't think I like that look you are sharing." Kristoff glowered.

"What do you expect, Tweedledee and Tweedledum-Dumb?" Kida drawled and reached over to flick his cheek. "We need our secret telepathic moves if you two are going to have dates to the Winter Dance."

"And prom eventually." I added with a grin.

"Aw, man!" The boys groaned together.

 _We may fight, argue, and not talk for awhile, but we'll get through it and jump right back like it was nothing._

* * *

 _A/N: 'Here comes the sun do 'n' do, do. Here comes the sun and I say, "It's alright."'_

 _I own nothing._

 _Yay! They all made up, coach Smoot and Ariel have been put in their places and Elsa...well she was a complete sweetheart. Not to mention, Anna's more mature mind has been rattled. *wink* (everyone goes through that right?) Now let's see what else happens!_

 _Hope y'all liked it. Thanks for reading you 200 followers! ^^ and the rest of you of course!  
_

 _Tootles~_


	25. Snowday Hayday

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

A few days later.

"We're getting slaughtered out there." I whispered harshly, pulling my Zombie bandanna lower until my eyes were almost completely covered by the cloth. While I was at it, I zipped my extra jacket up to the tip of where my hood began as I covertly glanced over my shoulder and squinted into the distance.

"You guys are insane." Elsa breathed from beside me, drawing my attention back and I couldn't help but watch the way her hot breath materialized in near-transparent white vapors infront of us. We were both breathing heavily, but we needed to stay on our toes and in hiding, lest we give away our positions.

"What, this?" Gesturing to the supposedly empty park we were currently in. "This is only the beginning." I assured her with a lopsided grin before taking her hand and dashing across the vast expanse of snow to the next rally point. Once we stopped, I reached out to secure the beanie on her head as well and let a knowing smirk cross my lips when I got a look at those rosy cheeks that were tinged with the cold and her own excitement. Not to mention the separate streaks of black across both of them. _Adorable._ My eyes glanced up to where my hands hesitated to move away from her beautiful platinum tresses. _I like how my beanie looks on you._ "You haven't seen anything yet." I chuckled instead of voicing what I'd just thought.

The hard crunching of snow to our right, broke our eyes away from each other to see three familiar people sprinting toward us. "You two stay where you are. Romie will take to the wall on that side while Olaf and I lure them out." Kida instructed through the radios she gave to us before tossing me my trusty weapon. I caught it and was reminded that I had lent it to Romie not too long ago because she didn't have anything to defend herself with. Now it seemed like Olaf had given her his own gun and resorted to using his hands instead. My eyes met shimmering arctic blues for an instant and we both nodded in confirmation at Kida as she continued tugging Olaf and Romie away.

As I quickly set up a more secure barrier around Elsa and I, I couldn't help but tune in to the conversation of the two now lying theatrically in the middle of the snow-covered ground. "Base one this is Cavalier two-one-four!" Olaf's voice sounded just frantic enough to be believable."We've been in a collision with a civilian vehicle. Nedakh's dead and Ramsey's hurt real bad. We need medevac immediately."A pause. "She's got kids, Base one, she's got kids!"

As I loaded my _Zombie Strike_ rifle, I couldn't help but raise a questioning eyebrow at the bordering-on-too-dramatic guy as he protested loudly after completing the call. _"Roger, Cavalier two-fourteen. We're scrambling a team. Hang in there."_ The other line answered over Olaf's grumblings about how he used to be good at that. Whatever ' _that'_ was. _Being a complete failure at lying?_ Glancing curiously at Elsa, she shrugged in as much misconception before peering across the quad to them too.

"Shut up." Kida criticized.

"I mean, that was _so_ contrived!" Olaf went on complaining, ignoring her while he was at it.

"Olaf, shut _up_." Kida growled more forcibly.

" _You_ shut up, Kida." Olaf countered. "You're dead. I'm spinal injury and spinal injury can talk. Dead can't say anyth-"

"Stop talking or I'll have _Feisty-Pants_ shoot your face off." She barked.

"She loves me too much to do something ludicrous like that. Besides, you should really start getting into character." He motioned over his face with his hand. "Dead woman means no talking."

Luckily, our oncoming targets stopped whatever argument was about to continue boiling over. _"Base one, this is Medevac Delta. We have visual on Cavalier two-fourteen."_ The pseudo pilot's voice came over the radio and I went to work on steadying my breathing. Through my scope, I could see two people reveal themselves from behind the trees and rush to help the other two imbeciles out there. Off to the side, Romie was stealthily situated in the background as well, but I patiently waited for my orders.

I could hear Olaf's exaggerated cries of agony, but as the one who decided to tend to him tried to soothe him, he faltered badly out of character. "Oh, _wow_. Hi!" He chirped. There was a short pause that only meant that a great 100% Olaf Line was in the making before he voiced, "W-what's your name?" That response made a stupid grin split my face because even from _this_ distance, I could hear the hopefulness in his question clear as day. The girl's response not so much, Olaf was just flamboyant like that.

 _"Fire when ready, Feisty."_ Kida's own whispered voice suddenly tore my attention away from the love-struck idiot and on to the one checking him out. _Sorry, Felicity and Jackson._ I thought before firing. _One shot. Two shots._ They stiffened and Olaf simultaneously sat up to catch the girl as she fell while Kida left the younger boy to crash to the snow. They followed the rules perfectly if I had to say so. Looking back, I suspected that Romie would come in for backup and start firing like crazy, but Kida successfully waved her off, so I let out the breath I'd been holding and leaned back against our barrier.

"Nice shot." Elsa commented, making me turn to give her a wink.

"I was a champion sharp shooter at summer camp three years in a row." I bragged like an idiot. Elsa rolled her eyes before reaching up to deliberately pinch both of my cheeks, making me chuckle coyly. She had effectively made the rest of my body warm up with the silly intimate look she gave me next. _I'm so into you._ I thought as I felt myself beginning to get lost in those unending pools of gleaming cerulean. For now though, I couldn't do anything more because I knew if I completely let myself get caught up in the girl named: Elsa Mariani, we'd undoubtedly be the next two to go down. _Can't have that._ So instead of stealing a kiss like I so badly wanted to, I playfully stuck my tongue out at her and looked back over my shoulder.

"Pleasure doing business with you, fellas." The other blue-eyed girl stated triumphantly. I rested my rifle on my shoulder just as Kristoff and Sen publicized themselves from behind the playground at the bottom of the hill. I felt my adrenaline spike and then turned to face Elsa who was now a little preoccupied in looking around with those eyes as wide as saucers.

"Hey, listen to me." I whispered to her while taking the radio piece out of my ear. She snapped her attention back to me. "Something tells me that our temporary alliance with Olaf and Kida will be ending here shortly." I pointed down the hill to the slides on other side of Kristoff and Sen to our undecided safety zone. "I want you to get yourself over there without getting caught. Wait for my signal and I'll catch up with you in a bit." When she nodded, I couldn't help but lean in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek before standing to my feet, missing the subtle way she lightly frowned from the quick contact of our skin. "And if they come for you, don't be afraid to lash out at them." I added when she stood up too.

"Where's my wild goose?!" Kristoff asked as he readjusted his _Naruto_ goggles.

"You mean your GPS?" Kida asked, tossing said object from hand to hand gleefully. "We got it while you two were too busy smooching over there!" She added proudly.

"S-shut up, Nedakh!" Kristoff barked in embarrassment and even from where I was standing I could see the lower part of his face turning a nice crimson color. Sen made it a little more obvious by looking away and pulling her hood back over her head. _How cute!_ I bit my lip to keep from laughing at that. "Now give it back." He crossed his arms arrogantly.

While Elsa surreptitiously took to the trees that had been right behind us, I moseyed further away from our barricade until I saw Kida shove the device in her jacket pocket. With a loud rebellious chortle to the taller guy, she joined me as we continued walking nonchalantly over to Olaf, ignoring the other two for the moment. "Have you _ever_ seen an EMT look like this?" Said boy asked us with wide, gray, puppy dog eyes, still pointing at the grinning girl on the snow-covered ground who was choosing to try to stay in character. _She's clearly flattered though._ I thought smugly.

Regrettably, I had other things to say to my friend first off. "Seriously, Bud?" I motioned to Felicity and then back to him. "' _Hi, what's your name? I have no legs but I wanna take you on a date_?'" I mocked him before clapping my hand on his shoulder, just itching to tease him more about his unique way of talking to people. Or not. He was a total dork when he wasn't on stage or talking to any of us. _Wait. What am I saying?_ Olaf Ramsey was _always_ a dork no matter what.

"You, my friend, are as smooth as a child's bottom." Kida joked, slapping his other shoulder more aggressively than she probably meant to and caused him to jerk forward from the startling force. All the same, he gave us that sheepish shrug of his while his adorable face began to flush.

"Well, I wasn't really- I mean, I still _can_ walk so..." He trailed off, chuckling apprehensively and then decided that the best thing to do was to drop it altogether. "Hey, Kristoff!" Olaf yelped like a kicked puppy. "Do you guys need an extra team member?" Scampering away from us, he began trotting down the hill toward his deliverance. Only to get hit square in the face with an unforgiving snowball.

My easy grin disappeared when the realization dawned on me. _Uh-oh._ I thought just as Kida turned to aim her own _Double Strike_ pistol at me. I didn't even remember that I had my own weapon and even if I did, I'd forgotten to reload it, so it was useless to me now. _Aw, man!_ Just when I anticipated that it was all over, Oaken and my dad suddenly popped out of the snow and began mercilessly firing snowballs at all of us. "SNEAK ATTACK!" They cried together.

"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!" My dad declared and even slung one at me, which I barely managed to dodge. All at once, our quick game of capture the flag (or GPS in Kristoff's term) turned into a sun's out guns out brawl and we ended up switching sides just like I'd predicted.

"GO NOW! SAVE YOURSELF, SNOW PAW!" I yelled and waved my hands around hysterically to her just before a snowball struck my shoulder. On the ground infront of us, Felicity and Jackson straightway broke character and then scrambled to their feet, bolting safely out of the kill zone where they could regroup. While they eventually went at each other, I jammed a new cartridge in before whirling right back around on my heel and then fired my Nerf gun just as fervently at Oaken. He dropped his remaining snowballs and tried to defend himself against the onslaught, but one lethal dart managed to hit him right between the eyes. He shouted dramatically and clapped a hand on his forehead, falling to his knees in the process, only to be playfully tackled by his son. The two fell over and disappeared behind an upturn of snow that practically ate them once it settled.

"Anna, look out!" Kida successfully tackled me out of the way when a huge packing of snow crashed into where I was supposed to be standing. _Huh._ After realizing that she was supposed to attack me and not defend me, she shrugged and gave an inane salute before running after Olaf. _Cool!_ While my dad frantically began gathering more snow into another bomb, I did the same while glancing around to find my next target. Sen. She was running back down the hill toward Elsa. My eyes narrowed and I held a hand up in the universal sign for 'wait' to Elsa before diving for an extra snowboard we brought out.

Kristoff saw me going for it and then, since he was already a little further down the hill, took off after Sen to try to stop me from getting to her first. Instead of strapping either of my feet into the board, I impatiently hopped on and sped toward Kristoff until I caught up to him where I then managed to launch my pre-made snowball before abandoning my ride altogether so I could do a dramatic shoulder roll. My built up momentum had me stumbling a bit once I got back up to continue running, but that didn't stop me from firing a couple of rounds in Kristoff's general direction either. The smooth guy dodged my snowball first by doing a half-baked _Matrix_ stunt that landed him on the ground with a grunt, which actually helped him duck under the rest of my attempts at taking him out.

 _Ah, well. No matter._ I continued running and expertly flipped over one of the kiddie tunnels like I'd been doing parkour all my life, making Kristoff stare at me in admiration for all of two seconds before I shot at him once more. He snapped out of it and instead ran away, leaving me to get back to my Snow Paw. Said girl was safely hiding behind the rock climbing wall and Sen was closing in, still searching for her with two snowballs in hand as I silently crept toward them.

When excited blue eyes caught mine, I held my pointer finger to my lips and then lunged, taking an unsuspecting Sen's legs out from under her. She landed in the snow and I stood over her to fire an empty shot at her stomach, forcing out a scream, which alerted Kristoff. Yelling like a maniac, he hastened back across the battlefield of Nerf darts and snowballs (that had migrated much closer to us) until he was on his knees, holding her head in his lap.

"Curse you, Crescent!" He raised his fist at my retreating form as dramatically as I'd ever seen him.

I cackled like a mad woman, but just before I could actually get to Elsa, I felt another unforgiving snowball smash right into my back. " _Argh!"_ I cried out and flopped face-first into a deep snow drift just outside of the playground. Warm hands lifted me out of the snow and I was greeted with mock watery eyes.

" _Gattina,_ don't leave me." Elsa murmured quietly, trying to stay in character. Her semi-awkward smile didn't help any and I ended up biting back a laugh.

Luckily, I was able to keep it together. "I-I'm sorry, my sweet." I lowered my voice to try to sound gravelly. "Take this. You know what to do with it." I shakily handed her my Nerf gun before going limp in her arms.

"Anna, your gun is empty." Elsa said after a minute, causing me to pop back up so I could unstrap the additional ammo belts from around my chest.

"My bad, Snow Paw." I chuckled and then placed a few extra darts into her hands since I wasn't sure how full the belts or the magazines were. " _Now_ you know what to do." Just after I said that, I let myself fall back into the snow drift while my hands linked themselves behind my head. I was out and now it was her turn to try her hand at challenging my friends.

But, she didn't have much longer to tarry as the only other apparent last one standing charged at her with a piercing warrior's cry. "Taste my fury, Elsa Mariani!" Kida declared fearlessly, making Elsa drop half the darts before hastily jamming the clip back into the rifle. A split-second passed just as a lone snowball came right for her. Elsa let out a surprised squeak and fell back on her rear at the same moment she pulled the trigger. My mouth dropped open when the snowball disintegrated as the dart blasted straight through it. Just above my line of vision. _Holy cow!_

I sat up in the same instant to see the impending duel scene unfolding before my eyes. "DO IT, SNOW PAW! TAKE HER OUT!" I shouted fervently when Kida shut her mouth and ducked down to gather more snow. Where her own Nerf pistol went was a mystery, but I had no time to expand on it as I cut my eyes back to the cowering girl beside me. Elsa opened an eye and peeked out from behind the gun she'd been using as half a shield and just as Kida shot back up to throw her fresh snowball, Elsa frantically lifted the rifle and fired.

* * *

After our all-out battle subsided with Elsa as the ultimate victor, we slowly shuffled back inside to change, warm up and just plain enjoy some hot chocolate on our first snow day of the year.

Soon after we received the news that there was no school, Elsa had called and asked me what my plans were. So, I invited her over to my house first where we had our formal introductions with my dad and after breakfast, he decided to call in for work. I thought the day couldn't get any better but it did when Oaken stopped by with his own children too, declaring that he _actually_ got permission to pick them up and hang out with them for a day. Just after I'd introduced Elsa to Oaken's little family, Kristoff, Kida, Sen and Olaf all dropped in with their Nerf guns and basically chased us outside. Team names were: Usual Suspects (Elsa and I) Nerf Busters (Kida, Olaf and Romie) Mass Destruction (Felicity and Jackson) Lady and the Tramp (Kristoff and Sen) Chairmen of the Board (Dad and Oaken.) We all dressed for the occasion, started out with capture the GPS, and then resorted to an epic Nerf war. That was that.

"You lost, Kida. Get over it." Kristoff got the chance to poke Kida's shoulder playfully as he passed her to take a seat on the floor. She didn't hesitate to lash out and give him a charlie horse, forcing a sharp cry of pain from him. I snickered when he continued hobbling over to Olaf.

"And stop making a big deal with the eye- wait, where did you even _get_ an eye-patch?" Olaf spoke up next, looking curiously at Kida's face. We all turned to look at her then.

"Anna mentioned that she was a pirate one year for Halloween, remember? So I got permission to go through her old clothes." Kida chuckled. "I think it's fitting, considering that _Elsa_ is a terrifying perfect shot!" Once she placed her mug on the coffee table, she plopped down on the other side of me.

Sen was sitting beside Elsa on the floor while Kristoff and Olaf were sitting infront of the TV while they set up Kristoff's xbox one and Olaf's Wii. Dad and Oaken were talking in the kitchen and every once in a while there was a burst of laughter from the both of them. Upstairs, Oaken's kids were making use of the showers while we patiently awaited our turns.

Meanwhile, Elsa hid behind her huge mug of steamy hot chocolate. "I'm sorry, Kida." She managed after I gave her leg a comforting pat.

"You sure that was your first time playing with a Nerf gun?" Kida asked, raking a hand through her pale blonde locks that was still damp with melted snow. Even I was still wearing my Zombie bandanna for fear that my hair would stand up on end if I took it off. Since we weren't doing the usual _Humans vs. Zombies_ , I decided to wear it on my head instead of my face.

"Yes?" Elsa cleared her throat after taking a sip, avoiding eye-contact. That time, I crossed my legs so that my foot was nuzzled against her calf. "It's actually my first time doing anything other than school related duties on a snow day." She added self-consciously. I knew for a fact that she didn't get out much, so it was an honor for me to introduce her to whatever I could outside of her fabulous apartment.

Kida narrowed her eyes and then tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "Then we had better make the most of today, huh?" With a fire in her eyes, she shot up and all but shoved Kristoff out of the way to get to the Wii.

Elsa then looked at me with confusion evident in her pretty blues. I figured that she was thinking that Kida was going to react _much_ different, so I gave her a reassuring lopsided grin. "You don't have to be anxious around them, Snow Paw. They won't judge you." I playfully nudged her shoulder with mine.

"No, of course we won't. But _Just Dance_ will!" Kida announced before tossing a controller in my direction. "Oh, I meant to throw that at Elsa." She lifted her eye-patch and squinted at us, making me chuckle with a shake of my head.

"Right now?" I asked, haphazardly waving the stick around.

"Uh, yeah?" Kida motioned to us to come to her with her pointer.

"Not while the dads are here!" Kristoff interjected.

"I actually vote _both_ of them to go first!" Felicity suddenly spoke up once she got to the bottom of the steps. Romie popped out from behind her to take the seat Kida had vacated and I absently wrapped my arm around her when she cuddled into me. From the kitchen, the men roared with laughter again and we all smirked at one another.

"Oh, _Daddy_..." I called out sweetly.

"In your dreams, Panda." Dad replied through a chuckle.

"I triple-dog dare you, dad." Felicity changed directions to saunter into the kitchen.

"No way, darling." Oaken voiced.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jackson was next to appear at the foot of the stairs.

"We're trying to get Oak and Ben to engage in a dance battle." Olaf turned to casually lean an arm on the coffee table before lifting his own mug of hot chocolate to his lips. Jackson nodded and then wandered toward the kitchen too.

"Well, it was _supposed_ to be me and Elsa." Kida crossed her arms, letting her eye-patch snap back over her eye. "But I have to admit that seeing two grown tough guys, who so brilliantly named themselves _Chairmen of the Board_ , dancing to some _Gangnam Style_ is quickly winning me over _._ " She snickered. "Come on, Mr. Woodsworth and Mr. Crescent!"

"No!" They both protested.

"Please, Daddy?" Romie pleaded from beside me before getting up to bounce into the kitchen.

"He's in for it now." Kristoff chuckled.

"He- who's hungry?!" Oaken boomed suddenly. "And something extra sweet for my little girl if you come with us." He added with a tone that had Romie won over in two seconds flat. The rest of us groaned with disappointment, but there was _no_ way we were going to let them off just like that.

"I vote chicken sandwiches from _Maui Mike's!"_ Was my submission.

"Chinese!" Olaf was next and he raised his hand like a dork.

"I agree with Anna." Kristoff commented. "Pizza's always our go-to food."

"I said Chinese." Olaf grumbled.

"True." Kida ended up sitting on the floor too, ignoring Olaf's comment. "So that's three to one. What about you two, Elsa and Sen?" Crystal blue eyes snapped questioningly to them, which I felt compelled to smile at as well.

"Ohh, I haven't had _Mike's_ in forever!" Sen's eyes lit up. "Definite _yes_ for me."

"That sounds good." Elsa agreed. "Something _else_ I haven't tried." She mumbled to me.

"Get ready to experience a taste explosion then." I whispered back, silently letting her know it was okay.

"Five to one." Kristoff got up. "Sorry, O." Before he made his way to the kitchen, he gestured to us. "Orders?"

"I'll take a bacon melt with ranch and fries." I answered and then looked at Elsa, "they also have regular chicken, but their Melts are to die for. They go as follows-"

"I-I'll just get the same as you." Elsa replied. "Considering that everything you've bought for me to eat so far has been delicious." She added quietly, causing a blush to form on my face that not even my face paint could hide. _Wow!_

"I'll have _Mike's Melt_ with honey mustard and fries." Sen smiled at him. _And now both of us are flushed idiots._ I coughed awkwardly before standing up and taking Elsa's hand.

"While the rest of you are discussing other things, I think _we'll_ make use of the showers next."

"No! I called it." Olaf tried to scramble to his feet, but tripped over the couch pillow he'd been sitting on and crashed into Kida who cried out when they landed on the floor.

"OLAF!" She snapped and I wasted no time in yanking Elsa away from the soon-to-be noogie beating that was going to be happening soon.

* * *

"So, how's your day so far, Snow Paw? Having fun?" I asked over my shoulder as I looked through my clothes so I could change (yet again) after I showered. I realized that we hadn't really gotten that much time to ourselves since the arrival of everyone, but just being in the same places as her for half the day was so rewarding that I couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement.

So much so, that I failed to notice the quietness that stemmed from behind me until I suddenly felt warm arms sliding around my waist. I stiffened on instinct, but as Elsa pressed a light kiss to my shoulder, I let a nervous smile tug at my lips. Blush right back on my face. "Y-you okay?" I croaked and then cleared my throat.

"Sorry." She murmured before taking a step back, leaving me to retreat out of my room.

My eyes widened and I spun around on my heel. "Els-" I tried, only to see that she was already turning into the bathroom. "W- hold on!" I yelped, nearly tripping over my own two feet so I could rush to her. "Hey, let's talk about this." Skidding to a stop infront of the door, I stopped her from closing it.

"It's nothing." She gave me an unconvincing smile. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, you did." I frowned at her. "What's the matter?"

"Anna, it's-"

"You know _how_ I mean to ask that, Elsa." I gently reached out to take her hand in mine, searching through her eyes to try to get to the answer just in case she didn't know where to start. She hesitated, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she tried to piece together what she wanted to say.

"Can I shower? I-I need a right way to say it without making a fool out of myself." Her gaze faltered and she looked away self-consciously.

I saw it then.

It was a distant glimmer, but I was _thankfully_ able to pick up on it and there was _no_ way I would leave her to herself. Again.

"I'm sorry, too." I whispered, stepping closer until she backed up and once she was deep enough inside the bathroom, I turned around to close the door. Now, I'd had the same thought not too long ago and right then I decided to make up for it.

I reached up to curl a hand behind her neck and tugged gently as Elsa's short intake of breath was stifled when I suddenly pressed my lips to hers. Our lips brushed; infinitely tender and now I didn't let any resistance into my kiss that time. Elsa finally seemed to relax as her hands came up to wrap around my neck while our kiss deepened almost instantly. Only when I felt my back press up against the door, did I break it with a light groan. _Whoa._ I was already breathless and virtually stunned by the intensity of the kiss. By the implications behind the way Elsa hadn't thought to budge once I stopped, the way she still had her hands wrapped around me and the way she was leaning. It was encouraging.

"I-" She let a soft giggle escape before leaning her forehead on mine. "What do _you_ surmise I'm trying to say, _Gattina?"_

I didn't even blink. "I miss you too." Sliding my hands over her arms, I linked my fingers around her waist. "I know we haven't seen much of each other these past few days because of me trying to catch up on two weeks' worth of homework and you dealing with the upcoming Winter Dance _and_ the pending Carnival, but don't think I don't want _this_ too." I smiled and then connected our lips again. That time, I hesitantly slid my tongue along the groove of her full lips, asking for permission and when she granted it, I let a low groan pass my lips. _Oomph.._ A whole new galaxy of stars exploded behind my eyelids then.

Elsa was next to stop as she pulled me closer to her so she could bury her face in my neck. "I-I just don't want to come off as... _clingy."_ She whispered, breathlessly. Yet her voice was still tinged in worry.

My eyes widened in realization. "Oh, my lovely." I chuckled, returning her hug as fiercely as I could without crushing her. "There is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with that. I find it so, utterly adorable. _You_ are adorable and I wouldn't mind seeing you like this more often." Was my added comment while my hands came up to draw random patterns on her shoulders since she hadn't moved back into my line of vision.

" _Sei il migliore, Anna._ " She whispered before pulling back to smile intimately at me. " _Sonno pazza di te._ "

 _I've heard that last one before._ I thought when her fingers came up to trace along my temple to my some of those words into memory so I could try to learn what they meant, I then leaned in to brush my lips against hers. "If you asked me how many times you've crossed my mind, I would say 'once' because you never really left."

Elsa let out a happy laugh and returned my kisses gratefully.

* * *

 _A/N: By far the longest chapter! And I'm not hating it whatsoever^^_

 _Since my nephews are big Nerf nerds, I figured I'd pay homage and put a war in there somewhere. (Which was really fun to write.) Anyway, I hope y'all like it! Thanks for reading and whatnot._

 _Tootles~_


	26. Cupcake Idiot

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

While in the middle of pouring _just_ the right amount of milk into the measuring cup, Olaf suddenly leaned over to present a small white oval sitting directly in the middle of his hand to me. "So, what's the difference between an egg with a baby chicken inside of it and an egg with an egg in it?" He asked like he had no real idea. I rose an incredulous brow at him and opened my mouth to reply, but was cut off by a fellow classmate.

"They're the same thing, you dolt." Kida scoffed and turned back around to show him her heavy amusement along with a dripping whisk. Now _that_ instantly made me frown in confusion at her. Oh, I just had to play along with Olaf now.

"Well...that's really confusing, because," I began and took the egg from Olaf's hand to hold it in my own palm while I pointed at it with my free hand. Looking up, I caught Kida's eyes in nothing but solemnity as I tentatively emphasized the shell. " _This_ is a baby chicken's house." My face turned compassionate, complete with a mock pout, which made a few snickers erupt from around Olaf's and my table. They were clearly entertained, but I focused on keeping my face from breaking into the ridiculous grin it so badly wanted to.

"Just crack the eggs you three so we can move on." The teacher pronounced when she came up beside Olaf to check our progress. However, seeing as we were less than participating in baking, she felt the need to take the milk I'd previously measured and pour it into the bowl. She actually ended up snatching the egg from my hand and cracked it herself, making Olaf and I gape at one another in feigned shock and gasp like idiots with our hands to our mouths.

"How dare she?" Olaf whispered dubiously.

"May as well have broken _my_ heart too." I agreed loud enough to make the teacher roll her eyes at us and again, scattered giggles came from all around us as she handed me the bowl like I knew what to do next.

Since our usual first hour teacher was out with the flu and spare substitute teachers were almost mysteriously scarce that morning, _our_ class had been told to report to the Home Economics room (because she had a free period) where we were now learning how to make cupcakes until they found a suitable sub for the rest of the day. Well, _some_ were trying to learn how to bake. Others were much too busy messing around with all the utensils surrounding our table. (Like me.) But I had a right to blame Olaf because he just so happened to choose the seat next to me and had scored an energy drink earlier that morning from one of his drama buddies. Olaf, Kida and I snuck drinks while the stand-in teacher went out for a minute and now I suddenly felt like I had a lick of ADHD because of all the shiny stuff. I wasn't sure if I liked the feeling or not. _I still don't think I'll have another one for awhile, though._ My hands busied themselves with mixing whatever was in the bowl in the next instant, regardless that I didn't know if I should have started yet.

When the teacher nodded her approval, she went about checking out other stations as she slowly made her way to the back tables to the front. "Ah, yes. Mrs. Potts?" Kida flipped around the other way to address the scrutinizing teacher better. "I understand that cupcakes are pretty trendy right now and I know that making a _foie gras_ might be a little gloomy...but I would like to at least graduate high school knowing how to make some kind of pâté." While she was talking, her hands motioned as one held a gooey, chunky, dripping whisk and the other was covered with an oven mitt. The way she was being so energetic with the whisk, I thought a dribble of that horrid-looking batter would come and claim my face. Luckily, she put it back in the bowl, but now I had to look over my own batter to make sure it didn't look as unfortunate as hers. It wasn't.

"Hey, is she speaking English?" I whispered to Olaf, earning a touch of flour to the side of my cheek from him.

"Beats me. Didja ever try saying her full name out loud?"

"Yeah, what's up with that?"

"Funny." Kida turned back around with a sneer on her face. "You two are _Comedy Central_ hilarious."

"I do what I do." I grinned. "And I would totally agree with you on the _pate_ thing, but I don't know the first thing about baking."

"Then, maybe you could listen for a change, hm?" Olaf nudged my shoulder teasingly.

Before I could say anything more, a slightly peeved voice spoke up. "That's enough." Mrs. Potts dismissed all of our mindless comments and dove right into a lecture about something that probably made sense to people who could actually cook. Me? Not so much, but I was liking how my batter was coming out. It really didn't taste too bad either.

 _Maybe if they come out good enough I'll sneak one to Elsa._

* * *

When class finally ended, I found myself falling right into step with Hans Marsden as I slipped into the flow of students.

"Hello, Anna Crescent." Came his charmingly characteristic voice that could have made angels weep if he so wished. I was too busy wiping the taste of frosting off my lips and even rubbing my hands together to try to loosen stray batter that had ended up on my skin thanks to Olaf. _Speaking of…_

"Hans." I nodded in greeting at him, barely noticing that Olaf and Kida were nowhere to be seen. _Thanks guys._ My hand came up to pull at the strap of my bag and I cleared my throat. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked after a few uncomfortable seconds for me. Hans just looked at ease. Like his whole purpose was to be vigilant at my side and I'm sure he would have offered his arm had the timing been right.

"What, a guy can't show his chivalrous side and walk a beautiful girl to her next class?" He directed a lethal smile in my direction before handing me a bottle of Green Tea. With a raised brow, I gingerly took it from him. _Okay, so now he know what I like to drink?_

"Uh, Thanks?" I made sure to let him see me put it in my jacket pocket so I could drink it later. He'd actually been doing things like that for a few days now and I was starting to get suspicious. I mean, who in their right mind would just show up one random morning, walk you to your classes, smile all the time at you, and just plain look like he was trying to court you?

At first I thought I was merely overthinking it because it wasn't my thing to outright judge books by their covers and that _maybe_ he was trying to get on my good side because I was dating Elsa, but since he'd been going at it for more than two days in a row, I had to start questioning again. Especially when I surmised that he only came up to really talk and joke with me when Elsa was nowhere to be seen and when she _was_ around, he'd be prompt and formal before excusing himself altogether. _I can be wary of that strange behavior, right?_

"Oh, I do what I do." Hans chuckled and I swear a few girls swooned behind me as I was pulled out of my musings. Looking around, I could see other students giving us odd, questioning looks. Like they couldn't believe Hans and I were walking together. Close at that, seeing as his arm would brush mine every other step and I made it a point to move over, only to get pressed back into him when a gaggle of students squeezed by us. "Hey, I won't bite." He added with another good-natured laugh, going as far as placing a hand on my shoulder. The lingering touch may have looked comforting from across the hall, but _boy_ did it push a few less than pleasant buttons in me.

"Neither will I." I replied as steadily as I could, brushing his hand off my shoulder while I was at it. "As long as you keep your distance, that is."

"Feisty!" Hans moved away and gasped teasingly.

Regardless of my doubts with him, I suddenly found myself smiling for no particular reason. He did look ridiculous at the moment. But once I made eye-contact with a certain devious redhead, my face dropped into a more somber expression. Ariel looked from him to me and then turned around with an up-to-no-good smirk on her lips as she sauntered in the opposite direction. That look alone made me want to chase her down and clamp her mouth shut with some serious duct tape, but first things first.

"As much as I've enjoyed your _chivalry_ , my good sir," I spoke up when we rounded a corner. "But my destination approaches."

There was a short apprehensive pause until he stepped infront of me with a certain fire in his eyes. "I'm just going to go for it," Hans announced and then placed his hands against the lockers on either side of me so I wouldn't try to escape. "How are things going with Elsa?" He asked so suddenly that I felt the first signs of whiplash. "Are you happy with her?"

Undaunted by the small space he'd surrounded me in, I crossed my arms infront of me with a displeased frown."I don't see how that's any of your business, Hans." I snapped with enough venom in my voice to drop a rhino.

Our eyes clashed heatedly and there was a tense moment as we stared unwavering at each other. He may have looked a little intimidating to any passerby, but there was no way I was going to back down from getting him to step off. Regardless if he was an angel in disguise himself. Because whatever Elsa and I did, during school or outside of it, should _not_ have been at the center of everyone's attention.

Apparently, nobody else in that gossip-infested place thought the same. Ever since I'd gotten in that fight with Ariel a few weeks ago, the student body lifted me to a whole other place in the school's stupid hierarchy whether I wanted it or not. So much so, that I was up there right alongside Elsa and now that I was, I had the one thing most girls wanted at _least_ a little bit of: popularity.

And _that_ I found particularly strange because unlike other popular kids, despite all obstacles of puberty working against them, they still managed to be effortlessly hot, likable, fun, aloof and just plain _cool_. Yet, _I_ was somehow added to the mix. Seriously, everyone liked the ones at the top of the heap and those particular cool kids always appeared gleeful and the majority of their crushes were not unrequited. Of course that image was just an image, considering that I was in fact dating one. On the outside she projected happiness and a lot of self-confidence, but there were times when she was just as sad and lonely as some of the other students and I had the tremendous chance to see her as a warm, caring and loving human being and not some cold-hearted girl. Nevertheless, I had no actual idea how Elsa handled all of that in and out of school. Now that I'd gotten a taste for myself? I didn't like it.

 _Popular._ It just wasn't me.

"You're right. I'm being a bit intrusive." Hans thankfully backed off.

 _A bit?_ "You are." I snapped, actually taking the tea he'd given me and placing it back in his hands with a little more force than I'd anticipated. Hans actually looked surprised at the piercing way I looked at him right after all but shoving him away from me. If this was going where I thought it was going with him trying to schmooze me into something more, I needed to stop it lest he try stealing me from Elsa. Key word: Try. _I'm not an idiot._ I knew that amazing, yet subtle dash of determination mixed with longing look in anyone's eyes anywhere. Hans Marsden had a reputation of seducing younger girls when there was something in it for him. In my case, I didn't know what that was and I was not willing to even think about finding out.

Still, I knew that nothing would happen between us because I was too much into Elsa to let someone like Hans tear us apart and since he was her longtime friend, there was no way he would try the reverse effect. (At least I _hoped_ he didn't try.) I just needed to be careful around him, even if he went back to only talking me when it was appropriate.

I could be a little untrustworthy about it, but I knew better since I'd witnessed a few great relationships fall apart because of this particular scenario of someone moving in on someone else's girl.

Some were: Oaken's wife and one of Alice's past boyfriends. Those two were the most important since it cost Oaken his marriage and kids. I swear I had never seen someone _so_ broken before. My dad, mom and I did our best to comfort him, but he ended up burying himself in his work instead of dealing with it. Tour after tour, we patiently waited until he finally came around and when he did, he was almost a different person. That time around he was still partially happy like he'd always been, but mainly hollow. We found the reason out later because he told us that on one of his tours, he found out that he'd had another daughter added to his ex-family. Only she wasn't his. (Romie wasn't his biological daughter, but he sure didn't treat her any different than Felicity and Jackson.)

Months later, he came to visit before his last tour and eventually seemed to be in a good place again. I was happy for that, but all that he'd previously gone through hung in the back of my mind whether I wanted it to or not.

And then there was Alice. Since Oaken's ordeal, I had a hard time forgiving her about that one because I actually liked her boyfriend and it was obvious that the guy was a keeper. But the one time she foolishly decided to let her guard down, another unworthy twerp swooped in and stole her heart. Those idiots didn't even last two months before she was holed up in her room and crying her eyes out with me there to try to keep her together.

The sole moral of my musings were: _I don't need this._

So I left Hans there lest I be tempted to break his nose too.

* * *

Black Bear Auto.

 _'...Sometimes when I'm far away from you, I get a little lost, a little out of my element. I miss the way your body burns, when we melt alone._  
 _There are things in this world, that I don't understand. Like: love, war, gravity, or the lay of the land. But all of these remain mysteries, but one thing is for sure-'_

"'You _are worth living for...'_ " I quietly sang along to my iPod that I had plugged in to the handy stereo earlier. My hands moved on their own accord as I visibly scanned to see that the rest of the clamps were in place and I reminded myself to make sure they were tight enough afterwards. As the song built up, so did my voice. " _'Sometimes when I let my mind run free...it never fails, it goes right back to you, and a smile takes hold of me. I miss the way your body burns when we-'_ "

"Hey."

Forgetting all about the song, I looked up from tightening the last hose clamp to see Elsa standing timidly against one of the three couches set up in the corner of the shop. My bike just so happened to be settled behind the cozy waiting area. But none of that mattered when a sudden happy grin slipped into place on my lips as I stood back up, absently wiping my hands on my hips. "Hi." I replied before frowning in question. "I-I thought you had a board meeting." Then another thought occurred to me. "Crap. Was I supposed to stay and help you? B-because I remember telling you that-"

"Anna, it's six-forty." Elsa answered on a light giggle, making my hands freeze at my sides.

"Is it?" I asked with a raised brow. "Already?" Looking around, I could see that only Petro, Giovanni and Danny were still around to put things back in order for tomorrow morning. Even several lights were off save for the ones directly over me. "Oh." I let out a distracted cough and then motioned for her to follow me as we walked toward the lockers, unzipping my uniform while I was at it. _One._

Once school ended, I made my way back to the garage to make good on my measly part-time hours and promptly got caught up in working on my bike instead since it was a pretty mellow afternoon. Danny was actually very considerate of Petro and I. Because of our school schedules (and apparent knowledge on current times) he let us work for two and a half hours on Wednesdays to Fridays and then a full day on Saturday. And since I was oh-so close to finishing up my bike, he even let me spend the majority of my time with it. In short, he made our jobs super easy and often times I had to wonder if he even needed to hire us in the first place considering the slim number of hours we spent in the garage. Then again, I was sure he was keeping to his original plan and only hired us for extra help. (Which he desperately needed. Especially when it came to computers.)

"Have you thought about where you want to eat?" I asked as I stepped out of my coveralls, missing the way those pretty blue eyes fell along my freshly exposed front when I tossed my navy blues into the hamper. Turning back around, I pulled my extra t-shirt out of my bag and replaced it with my school uniform, which I'd hung up behind the TV so it wouldn't get too wrinkled, since I was now ready to split. _Two._ It was a little bothersome at first to carry an extra set of clothes around while I was at school, but it didn't matter when I eventually got used to it. _Not like I can work on cars in my skirt._ The thought was amusing and by the time I turned back around with a silly grin, I finally saw that Elsa hadn't thought to look away yet.

I didn't know what to think about that particular expression, but she had successfully brought a slight tint to my cheeks and I let myself glance down at my attire to try to see what she was looking at. "What is it?" I inquired, seeing nothing out of the ordinary other than the sliver of my stomach showing because my tank top had previously risen in my coveralls.

"N-nothing." Elsa snapped out of it and gave me a shy smile. "Don't you get cold just wearing that?"

 _That?_ _Meaning jeans and a tank under my coveralls?_ I shook my head before pulling my t-shirt on. "Nah, my navy blues are surprisingly toasty." My voice dropped into a conspiratorial tone as I leaned in a bit, "I have reason to believe that they have built-in heaters." Keeping that particular look she'd just had in mind, I chuckled at myself and made her smile more genuinely while I was at it. _Three._

"You'll have to let me try it sometime then." Elsa teased, pushing some of her hair behind her ear with a soft grin. I watched her glorious hair as it shimmered like the top of a snow-covered mountain under the lights of the garage, making my breath catch in my throat.

Honestly, the image of Elsa Mariani with her hair pulled up out of the way, those arms of hers covered in grease smudges, eyes focused and attentive _and_ wearing coveralls? _Think I'd like to see that._ "Why? You have crazy body heat." I commented instead as I slung my bag over my shoulder and left her there to ponder while I made my way to the sink so I could try to wash off some of the black coating my hands.

"Hey, _cucciola._ Did you finally find the will to leave?" Petro's face appeared behind me, causing me to grin at him.

"If I didn't have a _very_ stunning reminder that ' _yes, there is life out there,'_ I probably wouldn't have had the absurd thought to stop." Figuring that my hands were as clean as they were going to get, I dried them and then followed him back out to where Elsa was still waiting for me.

"Yeah. Careful there, Anna. You just might turn out to be a workaholic." Petro warned teasingly.

"What's wrong with that?" I winked at him.

"Oh nothing." He shrugged, reaching up to pull my beanie over my eyes. "Unless you want to be married to your job. Or how do they say it? Make it your mistress or something?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I replied, adjusting my beanie to its original position.

"Yes, you do."

"Nope."

" _Yes._ "

"Wait. What are we talking about again?" I ended up deadpanning after catching sight of Elsa once more. Petro let out a snort of laughter and I met him with a chuckle.

Actually, she was busy carefully inspecting the motorcycle with the cutest crease in her brow I'd seen all day. Petro gave my shoulder a gentle nudge, which I couldn't resist giving him a playful shove as I came up beside her and instead of taking her hand, I offered my arm. Blue eyes met mine briefly as she looped her hand under my arm.

"Are you almost done then?" Elsa gestured to the bike.

"Just about. I just need to take the carb out and clean the bowl, float, fuel valve, the jets and then put it all back together. Once that's done, there are a few plugs I need to replace, get a matte paint job and _voila_ , we're ready for that aforementioned date." I couldn't stop the stupid smile from smearing across my face because I was almost done. If I timed it right, I would be able to take it for a test run by the next week and after that, I would surprise Elsa by picking her up for school one morning. It only needed to stop snowing first before Letizia would even consider letting us leave the parking lot.

"Okay." Blue eyes were as confused as a water flea as she slightly tilted her head at me. "I-I'll try to pretend that I completely understood what you just said."

I rolled my eyes and stated mock gravely. "Snow Paw, we definitely need to educate you on some of this stuff." Of course, _my_ garage talk was simple baby talk compared to Danny and Giovanni's own automotive shop language. Now, when _they_ got to talking about engine parts and whatnot, they went total Nerd Mode and even Petro would be able to keep up with what they were saying from time to time.

Elsa didn't need to know that just yet though.

"I, at least, know how to change oil now. With guidance." Elsa ducked her head sheepishly, making me give in so I could playfully nudge my temple into her jaw.

"I'll take that any day." I chuckled, placing a chaste peck to her cheek before tugging her along. "Now, let's get out of here so we could go eat." I wouldn't tell her that I had heard her poor stomach growl three times until later.

* * *

Driving the Smurfette.

 _"...well, holy moly. Me, oh, my. You're the apple of my eye. Girl, I never loved one like you."_

"Hey." I said along with the song before she changed the radio station.

 _"I feel like a fool. And it's too late, baby, now it's too-"_

Again she changed it, making the words next words of the lyrics die in my throat. The funny thing was that I knew all the songs that were playing, just not what she was looking for. Though I didn't mind because any time spent with Elsa Mariani was a time well spent and I couldn't think of a better way to close a lousy school/work evening.

 _"I feel the earth move under my feet. I feel the sky tumbling down. Tumbling down. I feel my heart start a-trembling whenever you're aro-"_

Changed again. "That was a good song." I commented when we stopped at the light. "Do you have a particular song in mind? N-not that _I_ mind." I added. Elsa shook her head and continued searching.

 _"...I want you to be mine, lady. To hold your body close-"_

Okay. That one I _didn't_ know, but that didn't mean I'd be looking for it later. A few more songs rolled by and when one particular guitar riff started on a random channel, I frantically grabbed her hand. "W-wait, wait, wait. Leave it!" I protested, almost causing us to run off the road, but luckily she recovered and even had the audacity to pinch my hand as punishment.

"Ow! What was that for?" I asked even though I knew the answer, resisting the urge to pout at her.

"Hi, _Gattina."_ Elsa said sweetly instead.

" _Buon giorno_ , Snow Paw." I stuck my tongue out childishly.

"That was actually pretty good." She stated after moving forward again. " _Bravissima."_

 _"Mustang Sally. Guess you better slow your Mustang down. Mustang Sally, think you better slow your Mustang down."_

And then Elsa looked back at me from the corner of her eyes skeptically. "And just what is this, now?"

" _Wilson Pickett,_ of course." I declared, choosing not to remove my hand from hers for the time being. "Don't tell me you've never heard of _Mustang Sally._ " My thumb swirled against the underside of her thumb as I smirked at her. She kept her eyes on the road, but I could see that she was smiling at the tender way I slid my fingers between hers so I could grip the stick-shift too.

"Um, no?" She took the chance to glance apologetically at me. I held back a knowing grin.

 _"...been running all over the town now. Oh! I guess I'll have to put your flat feet on the ground."_

"And don't you dare say that we can't listen to it because you have a beetle and not a mustang." I teasingly squeezed her hand and she finally turned to smile at me, elaborating on her guilty face for having thought that exact thing. I didn't hesitate to laugh at her adorableness that time. _And she calls me a dork._

 _"All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride..."_

* * *

Kitty's Café.

Since Elsa seemed a little iffy about _Djali's_ as a first pick, I decided to try another place that Sen recommended the other night after I informed her about the Esmeralda mishap. And the fact that I wanted somewhere good to eat and Elsa just so happened to have left it to me to choose because she wasn't sure either. Anyway, Sen guaranteed that _Kitty's_ was a sweet little hang-out that served extremely hot chicken wings when you were in the mood for it and what got me was that they had all day breakfast. And who doesn't enjoy a plate of eggs in the evening?

"You certainly like your waffles don't you?"Elsa's blue eyes lit up with amusement as I all but shoved half a waffle in my mouth. (Or waffles, that is.)

"Yes. Yes I do." I took care to at least chew a little before answering. "Seriously, waffles are just like pancakes. The only difference is, like me, they have abs." I sent a wink her way and took a drink of my orange juice.

Elsa actually had to cover her mouth after an unladylike snort erupted from behind her hand. Also to keep from spitting out her drink at me too. After a few tense seconds of her collecting herself, she suddenly reached over to pinch my cheek with enough friskiness to paint my face with a light flush. " _Sono pazza di te."_ She hissed through her teeth. The mixture of heavy mirth and mock seriousness in those eyes had my senses going haywire because it made me both want to laugh and groan in embarrassment at the same time. _Sheesh!_

And I actually knew what that sweet little saying meant now, having spent the majority of one night trying to figure out the exact words that she said and _how_ they were pronounced. It was frustrating because my laptop kept bringing up the word 'pizza', not ' _pazza'_ , and that kept confusing me until I went back over the way those full lips of hers kissed every word. Unfortunately, I couldn't say much when her hand was still holding my cheek captive.

That cheek flushed even more when I found Elsa still gazing at me with a hint of a teasing smirk on her pretty face. I knew my blush was only turning darker, but I didn't want to get shy just yet. Not outwardly, at least. So I held her arctic gaze, since she was clearly holding back a bout of laughter as she waited for me to get bashful. _Not today!_ When she recognized that I was being stubborn about it, she stared right back and we instantly found ourselves in an unspoken staring contest to see who would end up blinking first. The simple juvenile thought made both of our lips curl upwards in idiotic grins.

I couldn't take it after a straight minute of soberness. With a snort of laughter, I ended up breaking eye-contact first. _Seriously, how old are we?_ Elsa was eighteen and I was sometimes called a mature young woman around my dad's work buddies, so that basically made us adults. _Yeah. You're an adult that's flirting with the girl of your dreams with some super mature staring contest. Brilliant, Anna._ Clearing my throat, I unlatched her hand from my cheek so I could playfully bite at the spot just above the small scar on her knuckle.

"H-hey!" Elsa yelped with wide blue eyes.

I smoothed it over with a deliberate open-mouthed kiss before whispering, "I'm crazy about you too, Elsa Mariani."

Now it was _her_ turn to blush furiously and mine to grin like a lovesick imbecile. Because I was. _Definitely._

* * *

 _A/N: After much deliberation, I decided to end this chapter here. Reason being that I would probably not stop writing if I did._

 _Don't worry, I intend to write more about them dorks next time around. So until then...thanks for reading, reviewing and whatnot!_

 _Tootles~_

 _Ah, yes. I own nothing._


	27. Dangerous Accents

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

In the Dance Classroom.

Looking around, I held up a hand to get the attention of the handful of panting students as they slowly got back into position. "Okay, from the top. Let's mark it half time." I called out and then pressed play on the handy little remote I'd brought with me. "And again. Five, six, seven, eight." They spun in unison and tried to keep in step with one another. "Go one, two, four, six, eight." I continued walking back an forth in the front of the room, keeping an eye on each individual movement. "Sharper, two, three. Here it comes. Make sure we land-" at that, everyone all but collapsed on to the floor, making me groan impatiently.

"Okay, I've seen enough." I turned off the radio and clapped my hands in order to dismiss the class. "That wasn't as bad as yesterday, but, guys? We need to work on our laziness." Eyeing each puffing student, I crossed my arms infront of me. "If you want to make an impression on the school next week, you need to learn how to breath properly and I honestly don't want to be wasting my time if you all don't want to learn."

When they only nodded their agreement, I raised my hands, giving them the cue to get up off the floor. "Alright. Hit the showers and get focused." I commanded as they got up and didn't hesitate to give them a reassuring smile. "Please, tomorrow we are doing 540s."

"Later, Anna." Naveen gave me his bad boy grin on the way out and I had to return a slightly hypnotic one back to him before slapping myself mentally. _Stupid boy._ I knew my relationship wasn't in any danger whatsoever, but that guy could charm the pants off anyone! The fact that he could sing, had that accent, _and_ that he was in the Glee Club, inadvertently made him way more handsome than Hans Marsden and I was more than willing to teach him to dance because he had real potential. (Regardless that he was as bad as Flynn Rider when it came to flirting.)

"Thank you for helping us out, Anna. I would have never thought to ask you if it hadn't been for our esteemed student council president." One of the team leaders came up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Tiana, right?" I asked, giving her a quick smile. "Don't mention it." I added after she nodded her affirmative.

"I think it's a good thing to venture out from being a stool choir and with your help, I'm sure we'll be as good as some of the other show choirs in no time." She continued as the rest of the students cleared out save for her co-captain, whose name I couldn't remember at the moment. And if I was correct, their club name was _Panther's Rhapsody_ or something like that.

"Yeah. What was your competitions' names again?" I felt the need to ask since I would be helping them and it was just plain rude to not know anything about what they were trying to do.

"That would be Corona High's _Legacy_ and Guardian Academy's _Central Attraction._ " Tiana replied with a fire in her eyes. "We barely scraped by at sectionals with our mediocre a capella performance, but now I think we're ready to branch out and learn how to dance with music and whatnot so we don't blow regionals."

The grin I gave her that time was completely blank because she'd lost me _way_ back there somewhere and I feared I wouldn't catch up any time soon. _Wait. This is actually a thing?_ I found myself thinking before I knew it. Seriously, I had no idea about half of the clubs in this school besides the Drama Club, but that wasn't an excuse for me not to learn about a few more before I eventually graduated. _Forget about joining any though._ With my job and helping Elsa and the Glee Club out while I was at it, I just didn't have much time to get involved with more. Again, didn't know how Elsa, Olaf, or anyone else did it when it came to extracurricular activities.

"Well, I-I'll do what I can." I assured the two before grabbing the other guy's sleeve as they began to walk out too. "Wait, wait. What was your name again?"

"Aladdin." He answered.

"Aladdin," I repeated and then gestured to the pretty girl with mocha colored skin. "Tiana." Taking in their faces, I imprinted them into memory before letting them go. Of course they both smiled gratefully at me again and then left me to myself.

Instead of doing instant research about show choirs, I spun back around, turned the stereo back on and turned it up. I tightened my low ponytail and once I tossed the remote on to my bag, my hips already tried to pick up on the beat, making me take a deep, excited breath.

 _'It's too hard to sleep. I got the sheets on the floor. Nothing on me. And I can't take it no more. It's a hundred degrees. I got one foot out the door. Where are my keys? 'Cause I gotta leave.'_

The rest of my body fell in sync and it all ranged from popping, to shuffling, and then to the moonwalk. All while I had the dopiest grin on my face.

 _'Girl, you're the one I want to want me. And if you want me, girl, you got me. There's nothing I, no, I wouldn't do, I wouldn't do just to get up next to you.'_

Getting lost in the music was as easy as breathing for me and as I spun around in a pirouette, dropped to the floor and did the helicopter before shooting back up to do the body rock.

 _'You open the door. Wearing nothing but a smile, fell to the floor and you whisper in my ear, "Baby, I'm yours." Ooh, just the thought of you gets me so high, so high.'_

Sliding back to the center of the room, my eyes suddenly beheld myself in the mirror and I didn't hesitate to focus on locking since it was what Tiana had suggested we learn. It was fun and easy in my opinion, but I hadn't introduced the _Panthers_ to it just yet because they needed to learn Musicality. That just meant that they needed to learn how to dance to sounds in the music other than the beat, like the lyrics or the sound effect. They weren't total newbs so I predicted that they only needed to be taught the basics for a few more days until we got into the real stuff.

 _'Girl, you're the one I want to want me. And if you want me, girl, you got me. There's nothing I, no, I wouldn't do, I wouldn't do just to get up next to you.'_

On the next sway, I had to let out a short laugh because I might have been having just a bit too much fun by myself, but I didn't care. It had been forever since I danced around like an idiot and after seeing the Glee Club stumble through their steps, I only felt the need to perfect my own moves so I could be as fresh as could be when the next class took place.

"You're going to break something if you keep going like that."

The song ended and I allowed a satisfied grin slip on to my face as I then glanced up to lock eyes with the girl who, it appeared, had been staring at me while she'd been nonchalantly standing in the doorway.

"And _you're_ going to go blind if you keep staring at me like that." I replied smugly, enjoying the way she coughed and looked away with her face turning a _very_ attractive shade of red at having been deliberately called out on it. "Well," Instead of letting her suffer more than she needed to, I wiped my brow of sweat and added. "I just might end up breaking something _now_ that I know you're here."

Elsa awkwardly cleared her throat. "Anyway, w-what exactly were you doing just now?"

"I," I began, that time walking around so I could once again turn the stereo off and gather my belongings. "Was doing a thing called _Locking_."

"Oh, _do_ elaborate." Elsa tried to sound as sarcastic as could be, but she was just too endearing for me to resist showing off my knowledge.

"It's a dance that is often regarded as being started by a man named _Don Campbell_ , who was a 1970s pioneer of American street dance-" I was cut off when Elsa stepped infront of me and gingerly wrapped her hands in the collar of my shirt. Her gaze immediately dropped to my lips and lingered. _She's staring._ Not to mention that her hands were now fisted into my shirt. _I- what?_ If there was something I was saying...I certainly didn't remember it now.

 _"Sei così carina."_ She whispered, closing some of the distance between us until I felt her moist, sweet-smelling breath on my face. It stirred something in me. It made my hands instinctively work their way around to her back and slide them upwards. As I did so, I boldly felt the slope of her spine, the slants of slender muscle, the dip of her tantalizing shoulder blades and once I reached the skin at the top of her back, I dropped them back down to her waist. I barely registered that she wasn't wearing her usual blazer, so her body warmth was just a little more hotter that time around. _Hot._

I didn't particularly know what was actually going on, or how I was even able to do something like touch her like that without jumping back in embarrassment and spewing out apologies, but the look in her beautiful eyes had my more natural instincts seem to yield to passion. _Wow._ Those bright arctic blue eyes of Elsa Mariani were so focused, so full of thought, complexity and humble confidence that I could do was stare in awe. The feeling was so intense that my stomach dipped and I knew that if I didn't do something to distract myself from the mutual level of interest I could see in that gaze, I would definitely lose my nerve.

"Your eyes are enchanting." I gulped audibly and couldn't help glancing down to her full, inviting lips. When that tongue of hers presented itself to moisten her lips further, I took the liberty to pull her closer until there was almost no room between us. _These curves._ I fought the curious urge to press my fingers into the flesh that was hidden under her skirt and instead focused on searching through my brain. I tried to remember what it was that I was researching the night before because I'd been inspired by watching a movie called _Paris, je t'aime._ "I-I think it went something like: _mi ero_ perso nei _toui occhi?"_ Came my, most likely, butchered words as I accompanied her through a music-less sway. _Wait. Did I even mention why I tried to say that?_ I didn't know, but it still managed to make her normally stunning cerulean eyes turn a sultry shade darker as she let a slow deliberate breath leave her nostrils.

 _"Sei la donna più bella."_ Elsa brushed the tip of my nose with hers. She smelled so good.

 _So sexy._ "Kiss me." I whispered, surprising even myself by the request.

And she _did._ Delicious pink lips met mine, causing my heart to skip so powerfully that it knocked the breath out of me. I instantly parted my lips as if to recover my lost air, but it only exceeded in deepening the kiss and _sweet Freyja_ I would take that over a measly breath of air any day. With a soft growl and hardly any thought, I pressed my hands harder into Elsa's back to draw her closer until I could smell more of her intoxicating scent and then I felt her arms slide more securely around my neck in reception. I got swept up in it. I was lost in the curve of her amazing hips in my hands and the eager way her lips followed mine when they parted again invitingly.

Elsa was electric. I swear, every cell in my body was exploding with excitement and there was a fleeting, frightening thought that this was only a dream, because we hadn't kissed like this before. So openly, so deeply, and with such undeniable tension. It was almost enough to make me keep at it until...until I- we- _what?_ What did I want to do?

"Hey, Han Solo, where are you going? I think they might be down this way."

"There you two- holy crap!"

Elsa and I froze at the familiar voices, but just as we pulled away from one another, I only saw a flash of pale blond. Kida was too busy sucker-punching Kristoff's gut and shoving Hans back out of the door after they were already gaping at us. My jaw dropped in surprise too.

"Hello, Prom Queen! Rough night?" Olaf appeared from the other side of the door and he knelt beside the poor guy to help him get back on his feet. "Anna and Elsa _do_ have phones, you know." He chided, ignoring the heavy complaints from Kristoff. "You should know better than to go looking for trouble. Especially when Anna told us she'd be trying out some new choreography moves to teach the Glee Club for the assembly next week."

"Will you _shut up_?" Kristoff grunted before stalking off and muttering about Kida's stupid powerful punches while he rubbed at his stomach. _I actually think I agreed to help them out with more than the assembly._ I just needed to remember to tell them all about it later.

"Hi, girls. Sorry about that." Olaf giggled. "I tried to stop them from looking for you two."

"Hi, Olaf." Elsa and I replied together. I cleared my throat awkwardly and pushed my hair behind my hot ears.

"D-don't worry about it." I waved him off with a semi-steady voice. "We're done now, anyway." I added and then dropped my head into my hands after realizing the odd way I'd implied that. "Wait- I-I meant we were just finishing-"

Olaf suddenly chortled, making me leave one hand covering my eyes while the other shot up so I could count down from five. _What the heck am I saying?!_ Elsa's hand discretely pinched my side as she ended up speaking first.

"Who was Hans looking for?" She asked.

"You, I think." Olaf said before turning the lights out for us. "He just showed up and asked if we knew where you two were. Naturally, Kida and Kristoff set to it without consent from anyone and they all paid for it."

"You're such a suck-up, O." I chuckled, finally having gotten some sense of control again.

"Hey, I'd rather stay in your good graces." He retorted.

"Okay. But how could someone really stay mad at _that_ face?" I drawled and wrapped my arm around his neck so I could mess his hair up with my free hand. Letting him go, I put my jacket back on and chose not to change from my gym shorts to my jeans until later since Olaf was still there.

"Are the mirrors distracting when you guys are dancing in here?" Olaf suddenly asked as we started to migrate toward the exit.

"No." I stopped and motioned to my reflection, watching as she waved back at me. "This mirror is set up so as to approximate where the audience will be seated during a performance." I did another pirouette and then grinned at myself when I stopped. "In the mirror, so to say, dancers see themselves as the audience will see them and in turn it is an important tool for technique training."

"Sweet." Olaf commented after copying my last move. "You know, I should try running my lines infront of a big mirror like this."

"Oh, so you can psych yourself out?" I playfully pushed him out into the hall. "No way. I think you're much better off practicing with Kida."

"You're right. How foolish of me." He chuckled and then bounded along ahead of us.

Elsa and I watched him for half a second before looking back at one another. "He's totally going to use a mirror now." We stated together and then laughed as we continued after him. Our shoulders brushed with every other step and there was a brief pause until Elsa slid her hand into mine, making my breath hitch slightly. Mainly because once she had my hand, she scooted into my side and placed her free hand on my forearm.

"So how was it?" She asked in that soft accent of hers.

"It was good. Sort of." I cleared my throat, trying not to think about how close we were. But Elsa was practically hugging the length of my arm and I couldn't help but think of it as a subtle kind of cuddling. Whatever it was, it was driving my already fluttering stomach crazy and I couldn't stop the idiotic grin on my face even if I tried. _Did she just cop a feel of my arm?_

"Sort of, huh? You're being nice."

I rolled my eyes and squeezed her hand. "Fine. They're lazy." I admitted as we turned toward the boardroom. "Lazy, yes, but that doesn't mean that I can't whip them into shape with Tiana and Aladdin's help."

"I like your confidence." Elsa giggled before releasing my hand so she could put her blazer back on and gather the rest of her partly packed bag.

"I'm aware." I smirked at her while placing my own bag on the first chair. While she finished up, I took that opportunity to dash to the restroom so I could change into my jeans, lest I leave the school looking like I had a sleepover. Plus it was cold outside and I didn't know when the next time would be that I got to change.

As I walked out of the restroom, I pulled at the hair tie on my hair and shook it out before retying it to a higher point. My mind instantly went back to locking and before I could get lost in my though, I heard a sharp wolf whistle come from somewhere down the hall. I knew the difference between a friend's whistle and someone else's and in that moment, I let a soft growl of annoyance leave my mouth.

"I've never seen you in civilian clothes." Hans said as he caught up to me.

"What do you want, Hans?" I asked, not bothering to slow down until I got back to Elsa.

"I come in peace." He put his hands up in surrender. "I actually need to have a few words with Elsa about the carnival."

That made me stop. "What about the carnival?"

"We might have to cancel it." He stated gravely before walking ahead of me.

* * *

At the Mariani Loft.

 _"Panda, where are you?"_ My dad's voice inquired from the other line. I was too busy trying to figure out how much coffee grind went into six cups of coffee.

"Um, at Elsa's? She needed some help with some school affairs. Hey, when you're making coffee, how much grind do you put in the filter?"

 _"How much cups are you making?"_ He ended up changing topics for the moment.

"Six." I had to double check.

" _Then you're going to put four teaspoons of grind in."_

I frowned. "How do you figure that?"

 _"Trust me, Panda. I've been drinking the stuff longer than you have."_

"True." I nodded to no one in particular before measuring a perfect flat line.

 _"Uh, Panda? They're supposed to be 'heaping' spoonfuls, so don't feel the need to be a perfectionist about the grind."_

"I-I know." I dumped the grind back in and then brought back out a fair amount. "Don't act like you know me." I joked.

 _"Young woman, I spent the first two years of your life changing your diapers. Don't think I don't know you."_ He chortled, making my face heat up in embarrassment.

"D-dad!" I groaned. Luckily, I'd already put the next three scoops in. Otherwise I was sure that the pristine marble counter would be covered in coffee grind.

 _"Heh. Anyway, sweetheart. I was calling to tell you that I have training for the next couple of days, remember?"_

"And we said that I'd be staying with Oaken during that time." I replied, going back to the living room where Elsa was seated infront of the coffee table with paperwork scattered all over the top. "Or I could stay by myself?" I suggested, taking a seat next to the pretty girl who glance curiously at me for a moment until I shrugged a single shoulder to let her know she could continue working if she wanted.

 _"I do trust you to keep the house company, but I'd feel better if you weren't there by yourself. At night."_

"Dad, it's fine. I'm a big girl." I chuckled. "But don't be surprised if you hear that Oaken is staying at our place." Before he could reply, I added, "Because I would rather him stay at our place than his sorry-looking apartment. _And_ our house is closer to the school."

 _"Be nice about his apartment, you."_

"Sorry." I muttered, splaying my legs out and smoothly slipped one under Elsa's. The gesture made her sigh and instead of continuing to hunch over the coffee table, she leaned back so she could place her temple on my shoulder.

 _"Well, just let me know when you're thinking about heading out because I'm ready to leave now."_

"Actually," I straightened up a bit as an idea presented itself in my mind. Elsa almost moved away, but I silently apologized by wrapping my arm around her shoulder to keep her right where she was. "Do you think you can drop my duffle off at Elsa's place? I can ask Ms. Mariani if she can drop me off at Oaken's for tonight."

"Or you can just stay here!"

Elsa and I jolted upright to see said woman stepping off the elevator with a few bags of groceries in her arms. Elsa immediately got up to help her. _"Di cosa parli, Mami?"_

"What do you mean, _piccola_? I trust you two. Surprisingly enough." Letizia teasingly winked at me on her way to the kitchen. I felt the heat collect on my face faster than a race car on the track. _Wait, what?_

" _M-Mami!"_ Elsa hissed before giving me an apologetic smile. I tried to return it with my own shaky smile and instead, turned my attention back to what my dad was saying.

 _"So you're having some other woman make decisions for you, huh? I know how this relationship is going to go."_

I face-palmed. "Dad! That was Elsa's _mom."_ It was my turn to hiss.

 _"Oh."_ He chuckled. _"That's still not a good sign."_

"Ha-ha. We're all positively busting a gut, _Gabriel Iglesias."_ I stated sarcastically, yet I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

 _"I'm joking, Panda. But I suppose I could do that. Again, just let me know what your plans are."_

"So, you're saying I _can_ stay here?" I asked jokingly, making Elsa snap her head back in my direction and Letizia's brow to raise in question. I smirked at them.

 _"...You're the big girl."_ He actually sounded a little nervous about that.

"Dad. I'm kidding." I chuckled, leaning back on the couch and placing my arm on the cushion behind me. "But I still think it's a good idea to have you drop my bag off first. I'll send you the address- if that's okay?" I glanced over at Letizia who was pouring a cup of coffee.

 _"Non mi dispiace."_ She shrugged with that mischievous smile on her ruby lips. Elsa shook her head and then mouthed to me that it was alright for me to do so.

"Yeah. I'll do that." I cleared my throat again and then stood to my feet

 _"Okay. I'll see you ladies in a few then."_

* * *

Later.

 _"A tavola non si invecchia."_ Letizia stated as she put the finishing cutting up half a watermelon.

"What are you talking about, _Mami?_ All you did was use the panini press." Elsa sent a smile my way. I grinned back and lifted my glass of water to my lips. On the floor, her foot slid forward until it touched mine.

"I don't know, they were awesome either way." I commented. "A-and I'm sorry for crashing your dinner. I didn't plan on staying here that long, but my dad-"

"Oh, stop it, _tesoro_." Letizia waved me off after placing the plate of diced watermelon on the table infront of us. "If I didn't want you to stay, I would have taken you home myself."

"Don't mind her." Elsa muttered to me, but I was too busy laughing at her. Of course, there were times when I wasn't entirely sure if Letizia was serious or not. Which was probably a good thing that Elsa was usually with me, otherwise I would have definitely ran away at the first sign of doubt. _Then again, I'm sure she's making sure I DON'T do that._ I thought next just as my phone rang.

 _"Hey, I'm here. Sorry, Panda, the GPS broke and I had to buy a new one."_ My dad's voice sounded a bit rushed and I stood up from the table.

"And you couldn't use your phone?" I asked jokingly, not noticing that Letizia was right behind me until I stepped into the elevator. "Kidding, dad. I'll be right down." Once I did realize that she was right beside me, I shot my wide eyes back to an already shrugging Elsa that looked just as surprised as me. As we descended, I licked my suddenly dry lips and then glanced up at the taller woman. "S-so, would it be too much to ask you to drop me off in Fairbanks?"

"Fairbanks?" Letizia's eyes widened. "Is that where you live?"

"No, I- my dad's heading up to Federal Heights for training for the few days." I slid my hands into my pockets. "I actually live about ten minutes from the school in Netherwoods."

"I see." She nodded in understanding. "And you couldn't stay with your mother while he's away?"

Her question was innocent enough, but I still felt the jab to my gut. I was sure that if Elsa was there, she would have started up a new argument with her in Italian. "Uh-" I coughed and looked down to my shoes as they drew imaginary lines on the floor. "She's not- I mean-" How was I supposed to say it without making her uncomfortable? "It's just me and my dad now." I settled for.

"I'm sorry, _tesoro._ " Letizia seemed to get it and I felt my muscles stiffen instinctively when I felt her arms slip around my shoulders. I could smell the floral scent of her shampoo and just the overall warmth and comfort that any loving mother had. The touch was almost alien to me. I gulped thickly, trying to put a lid on my conflicting emotions before they boiled over and reached up to awkwardly pat her shoulder.

When the elevator doors opened, I tried not to rush out of there and instead, chuckled just as awkwardly while stepping away. "I-it's fine. We're fine." I blurted over my shoulder before continuing to the front desk where my dad was talking to the doorman. "Hey." I sidled up next to him with a shaky grin on my lips.

Thankfully he didn't notice my dash of unease. "There, see? This is my daughter." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and then directed an earnest smile at me. "Mr. Brennan here didn't believe me when I said you were on your way down."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, dad. You sort of look a little homeless." I reached up to run a hand through his unruly light brown hair and then deliberately rubbed my palm over the growing scruff along his jaw line. "Please tell me you're going to get a haircut while you're over there. The scruff is okay because it make you look more handsome, but this hair..." I drawled, pulling on the tip of one tuft that was sticking out. "It's starting to look better than mine."

"I beg to differ, Panda." He smiled wider at me before placing a kiss on my forehead. "You're hair is as radiant and beautiful as ever." As if to prove his point, he pressed another kiss to the top of my head, ruffling my hair right after and then he handed me my bag. "Sure I can't drop you off at Oaken's? I don't want to trouble either Elsa or Ms. Mariani by having them drive way out there."

"Well, I-" I was seriously thinking about it too.

"I can assure you, it's nothing at all." A smooth, lightly accented voice said from behind me. My dad looked up and I turned around to see a dazzling smile on Letizia's lips. Without a second to lose, she stopped beside me to hold a hand out to him. "I'm Elsa's mother, Letizia Mariani."

"Uh-" Was my dad's first answer as he took her proffered hand. I furrowed my brow at him, but then had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when I saw the tips of his ears tint in a blush. _Really, dad? Of all times to get shy._ He was just talking to Mr. Brennen like they were old friends not two seconds ago! Using my duffle bag to cover for me, I discretely nudged his foot as if to start his brain back up. "Benjamin Crescent Jr." He answered mechanically, making me inwardly face-palm for him.

 _Oh, dad. You're such a dork!_ I could now see where I got _my_ awkwardness around Elsa. He gingerly took his hand back, having found some sort of sensibility once again. Hopefully.

"So...our daughters, huh?" He blurted unprofessionally. _Nope._ That time, I felt my face heat up and I didn't hesitate to clear my throat pointedly. _You're blowing it, dude!_

"Our daughters." Letizia agreed with a giggle. My dad forced out an embarrassed laugh and I wanted nothing more than to run outside screaming because I had to be the sole witness to all of this discomfiture. _Thanks Brennan!_ Looking around, I spotted him lounging by the elevators like he knew where this conversation was going. "So, I understand that I'm to drop your daughter off in Fairbanks?" She asked, having gotten over her initial surprise too.

"Ah. I was actually going to ask you about that, Panda." My dad finally tore his gaze away so he could turn his attention to me. "Would it be better for me just to take you?"

"I was just thinking about that too." I nodded as I brought out my phone to peek at the time. "It's getting late and I figured you could just stay at Oaken's too so you don't have to drive all night." I finished distractedly because Elsa had sent me a few messages. All of which asked what the heck was going on. "Plus, I don't want to give Ms. Mariani here any more-"

"Anna, I already told you that I don't mind." She sent a friendly smile to me. "My only concern is that Fairbanks is on the other side of town and you have school tomorrow."

"Oh, no worries." I commented. "My dad and him were in the military and I highly doubt Oaken has gotten out of his morning routines. So it shouldn't be that hard to get me out of bed and to school."

"All the same, _tesoro._ I wouldn't mind putting her up for the night." Letizia spoke to me first and then to my dad candidly. "I meant what I said about trusting them." She smiled at him again and I knew he was in for it.

"Uh..." Was my dad's blank reply once again. "Panda?"

I face-palmed so hard. ' _They are sooooo- wow, I can't even tell you how AWKWARD this is!'_ I sent the message to Elsa after there was another lull in their conversation. They actually spent the majority of that time looking at me expectantly since I seemed to be the only one who wasn't utterly tongue-tied at the moment.

 _'HELP ME, SNOW PAW! DX'_


	28. Guerre Stellari

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

" _Ugh!_ " I groaned dramatically. "You should have _seen_ how awkwa- no. Scratch that." My hands came up to scrub at my eyes as if I could physically wipe away all the still fresh images and feelings in my head from the lobby. "You- i-it's actually a good thing that you weren't there, Snow Paw." Thinking back to the way my dad began sputtering like an old, broken down truck and how incredibly _unhelpful_ Elsa's mother had been with all her teasing, had probably scarred me for life!

Above me, Elsa's delightful giggle sounded and her hand presented itself soothingly at the top of my head. Her other hand managed to stop my own from attacking my face, making me crack an eye to see her leaning over me. "That bad?" She asked as the side of her lip curled upwards in a cute little smirk.

"Please." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Letizia was probably so mortified by my dad's rustiness that she hasn't showed her face since we came back up." Came my added grumble. As Elsa continued to play with my hair, I turned on my side so I could see the TV better. I didn't miss the obvious pause in which Elsa seemed like she wanted to say something, but left it for the moment.

"Ah, _mami_ is done for the night." Elsa sighed instead and relaxed further into the couch with her hands trying to decide where to touch first. Seriously, one was on my shoulder for a split second and then it was gone before ending up back at the same place. The other was still in my hair, but barely moving at all and once it did, it stopped again.

"Not surprising." I murmured while my own hand playfully ventured down her knee, causing the fingers in my hair to twitch. A lazy grin stretched across my face at her reaction. In my haste to lament the misfortune of being the only sane person there when our parents officially met, I'd all but thrown myself at Elsa and had settled down with her on the couch. My head on her lap and I figured that she was so shy about it that she'd forgotten how to function properly. That, or she was just nervous that her mother was just down the hall.

Either way, it was crazy adorable.

And then another thought occurred to me as I suddenly bolted upright. "Wait. So, does that mean she's _not_ going to drop me off?" I asked a wide eyed Elsa whose hands were suspended mid-air where I should have been. "Then...does that mean I'm staying here?" I couldn't believe it! I really thought that Letizia was only teasing when she told us that I could stay there and that she trusted me enough to grant me that privilege. It had been one of those times that I wasn't sure if she was serious or not. Obviously. But I would be lying if I said this wasn't an unwanted turn of events. _Me staying at the Student Council President's place. Whoa._

There was another apprehensive pause from her that went right over my head as I got lost in thought over my revelation. "Would you prefer _me_ to drop you off, then?" Elsa sounded a little nervous and disappointed when she asked. I glanced back just in time to see that she'd even brought her eyes down to examine the now neatly folded hands in her lap.

My eyes widened. _Great. Fix it, klutz!_ Without another word, I reached for her hands and lifted them over me as I calmly laid back down with my head in her lap once more. "I actually would prefer it if we got back to _Star Wars_." Regardless that I implied the movie we were supposed to be watching, my eyes were too busy drowning in icy blue eyes.

"You lost me." Elsa whispered at the unfamiliar title I'd mentioned. Just like that, the whole context of my departure flew out the window as we smiled at each other.

"Well, _you_ couldn't decide what to watch besides _How it's Made: Beer Edition,_ " I air-quoted."So I took the liberty to change the channel to something that made better sense to me."

"It wasn't a beer edition." Elsa scoffed, pointedly poking my nose. "It was a space edition." She giggled, making me raise an incredulous brow at her. Like _that_ was any better.

"Oh? So is _Star Wars._ " I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Not the same thing." She defended with an indignant shake of her head.

"Is so." I countered.

"No."

"Yes."

"How?"

"There's stars and space." I was now grinning like a fool.

"What do you know about stars and space? Look, they're not even _in_ space." Elsa was ready to playfully assault me again, but drew her attention to the screen where a certain clumsy _Gungan_ was leading the rescuer guys to the very place he'd been exiled from.

"Patience, child. They'll get back out there in no time." I shushed her before looking back to ultimately glare at her. "And I happen to know a little bit about space and stars, thank you very much."

"Okay." She smirked. "Like?" Blue eyes narrowed at me too.

"Like: stars are just mathematical equations once you get right down to it." My grin was palpable and she ended up rolling her eyes.

"How exactly, Ms. Crescent, do you have such low grades when you know something like that?"

"Thinking hurts too much." I chuckled, bringing my hand up to my forehead theatrically. "Besides, I don't want to fight with you for the number one spot." As I smirked, Elsa's eyes sharpened further. "Because we both know that I can easily blow you out of the-"

"Your face." She growled dangerously and jammed her fingers into my side. The rest of the smug words that had been ready to fire away, suddenly died on my tongue as a surprised yelp slipped past instead.

"H-hey!" I twisted back around, only to be tickled again.

"Hey yourself." Elsa snickered. Her fingers became insistent enough to make me squirm right off the couch and collapse in a huffing mess on the floor. Elsa then leaned over to grin down at me. "Serves you right."

"Oh, does it?" I asked breathlessly before snapping upright so I could capture her wrists, causing her eyes to widen. Keeping my eyes on her, I slowly slid her hands toward me until they linked themselves behind my back. Arctic blues instantly fell to my lips as she was stealthily pulled into my personal space too. "What about now?" I whispered, raising my head in waiting.

Elsa gulped nervously while I gently placed my hands on her thighs. My eyes beheld those shimmering cerulean orbs, her tempting pink lips that contrasted so well with the smoothness of her creamy skin, and _oh_ that jawline. That jawline led so elegantly to her slender neck and right then I decided that I wanted to taste it. I wanted to learn more about the taste that was associated with the scent my nose constantly picked up around her and what I was usually left with after her lips left mine.

But first...

"Anna!" It was Elsa's turn to yelp as I pulled back at the last possible second that her nose rubbed against mine and yanked her to me until she ended up on the floor too.

"Ha!" I cried before clambering onto her stomach and locking her arms above her head while she struggled to get out from under me. Once she figured she couldn't shake me, she deflated so she could glare coldly at me. "You didn't let me finish my star lesson." I smirked before lowering my head so I could nuzzle my cheek against hers. She stiffened when I turned to press a soft kiss to it.

"Poor, _Gattina._ " She barely held her sarcastic voice together as I placed another kiss further back, almost to her ear. "Forgive me. Do continue your math lesson." Her hands flexed against the grip of my own, but I kept a firm hold of them. From my close proximity, I couldn't stop myself from breathing in her delicious scent as I softly rubbed my cheek against her smoothness. I swear I could hear her heart beating right up against mine.

"Promise not to hit me?" I asked in a more gravelly voice, leaning further down and playfully nipping at her earlobe. Her reaction to my teeth was instantaneous and had my arms falter enough to clumsily drop my head into the junction of where her neck met her shoulder as an insistent whimper left her mouth. Not to mention the way her lower body pushed into mine at the same time I nipped her.

 _W-what?_ I felt my face blow up in a huge blush at the sound that had just escaped her and from the now heavy way she was breathing, but I dared not move until she did. _What'd I do? What the heck happened?_ "A-are you okay, Snow Paw? Did I hurt you?" I ended up blurting and trying to push myself away so I could make sure I didn't do anything stupid enough to make her uncomfortable. But when she only followed me in sitting up so she could bury her face in my neck too, I gulped in complete unsurity. "Elsa? Wha-"

"G-give me a minute." She replied in a husky voice before clearing her throat and clutching her hands in the back of my shirt. From the exceeding warmth emanating from her face to my neck, I knew she was thoroughly embarrassed for having reacted so powerfully. _Huh._ A secretive grin suddenly presented itself on my lips as I leaned back with her against the couch. _Must be a sweet spot._

I couldn't be too sure about that because I was so new to all of this and I couldn't figure out why she was breathing so hard, but I _did_ know that I didn't want to let her suffer any more of her mortification. And what better way to fill the dead air than nerd-babble? "Precise ratios of helium and hydrogen, heated and lit just the right way. All of it balanced and perfect for billions of years as they slowly churn their way toward iron, toward entropy." My hands had already begun drawing soothing patterns along her spine and when she pulled back just the slightest, I didn't hesitate to lean down so I could kiss her shoulder in apology. "It's just figuring out gravity and electromagnetism and _thrust-_ " My voice gave out halfway through and I ended up flinching because her hands had migrated down to my sides where they were gently clutching the cloth there. Alas, she had unintentionally tickled me. _Stupid tickle spots!_

"And?" She finally managed to ask, still not able to pull away from my neck. Her breathing had calmed some, but that didn't take away the fact that her hot breath was lingering on my skin, causing chills to rush all along my body.

I released a breathy chuckle and chose to finish my speech. "Um...thrust, lift and _BAM!_ You're out of here. On the moon like Neil Armstrong."

"I thought we were talking about _Obi-Wan Kenobi._ " Elsa's lips curved against my neck, making me snicker as well. _What exactly were we talking about?_ I honestly didn't remember and it didn't matter. What actually mattered was that Elsa knew who he was. _Sweet!_

" _Want_ me to talk about him?"

"Please no."

"Why not? I thought you liked nerd talk." I grinned devilishly and then nuzzled my way back to her ear again so I could whisper into it. "I thought you'd say something like: ' _Talk Nerdy to me, Anna.'_ " That time, I refrained from biting her.

"In your dreams." She scoffed, nudging her temple meaningfully against mine.

"Oh, that'd be _your_ dreams." I stated smugly and barked out a strangled chuckle when she snapped back to smack my shoulder. Her face was still a delightful red color, but other than that, she looked just fine. With barely contained laughter, I leaned forward until my nose brushed hers and lowered my voice. " _Queen Amidala. Starship. Skywalker."_ Elsa frowned in confusion for a split second, but I only continued like an idiot. _"Qui-Gon Jinn. Count Dooku. Coruscant. Hyperdrive. Tatooine. Senator Sheev Palpatine. Dathomirian. Chewbacca-"_

" _Ecciti i mei sensi._ " She shook her head and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips to shut me up. "Nerdy talk isn't required with me." Came her whisper against my cheek before she playfully nipped at it. "Especially if it sounds as bad as _Sheev Palpatine._ " Her voice alone made my ears feel a lot hotter all of a sudden. I gulped thickly.

"I really wish I knew how to speak Italian." I grumbled, ultimately dropping the topic of _Star Wars_ and letting her wriggle out from under me so she could help me get up too.

" _Sei irresistibile."_ She grinned once I got to my feet. Since I was able to understand what she said _that_ time, I brought my hand up to blow at my nails before cockily flexing my arm altogether.

"Oh, I know that."

Elsa rolled her eyes with a shake of her head and then stepped closer to me. Our eyes locked as she reached for my hands and then gently brought them up to her chest. _"Ti ho regalato il mio cuore."_

"That sounded quite romantic Elsa Mariani." I drawled, eyeing our clasped hands. On the inside I was driving myself up the wall _really_ wishing I knew what she was saying. _What does that mean?_ It was driving me crazy!

 _"Nessuna è come te."_ She brought our hands up to kiss my knuckles.

"Would your mom approve of the intimate things you're saying to me?" I couldn't help it.

 _"Sono innamorata di te."_ She then boldly wrapped her hand around the back of my neck after gingerly placing my hands on her shoulders. "But you're talking way too much."

That got a chuckle out of me. "Sono pazza di te, my Snow Paw." I tilted my head back against her hand in invitation. "Also, I'm guessing what you said just then has a much deeper meaning than 'pazza,' right?" As I spoke, her sweet lips brushed over mine and she nodded. Before she could really kiss me again, I tried one more time and whispered as sexily as I could. _"Darth Vader."_

"My name is Elsa Mariani." She managed to choke down a giggle at my silliness and instead, slipped her arms more comfortably around my neck. In that instant, i could see that she was a little more vulnerable and open than before and I inwardly kicked myself for not picking up on it sooner. I would have to look up what she'd said later since she wasn't too keen on telling me right away. Especially if it had a lot of meaning to it and considering that she hadn't translated _anything_ yet...tonight was definitely a special night.

"Got it." I murmured, immediately taking her mouth again in a long, deep kiss that left me beyond warm from head to toe. It didn't help that she was so close. So close that I couldn't help but drop my hands before lightly sliding my palms up her thighs before experimentally taking her hips and pulling her even closer. My hands then moved around and up her back to feel the slim lines of muscle just a thin layer of shirt away from the real thing. There was a small, adventurous part of me that wondered what she would do if I snuck my hands under said shirt. I was allowed something like that right?

I just needed to be careful.

As if to spite me, Elsa moved away from my mouth to nuzzle into my neck again as her left arm opened up around my shoulders so that my left side was susceptible to her. That time she led those lethal lips of hers over my ear, leaving my knees weak and my face on fire with my eyes suddenly falling shut at at the maddening sensation. I was weak in the knees and a bit too weak to resist slipping my hands under the hem of Elsa's shirt. The adventurous side of me decided to trail my hands up her muscular stomach to her bare ribs before I felt her teeth softly bite into my neck. Right on the pulse point after she'd got done licking that same spot.

The utter wet _sound_ of her mouth made my eyes pop open. The bite itself hit me just after that and left me breathless. " _F-fudge!_ " I hissed through gritted teeth, hands freezing right where they were on her ribs. An odd sensation suddenly spread from my face, down my spine, through my chest and into the deepest recesses of my stomach before it surged hotly between my legs like a coffee machine. _H-holy crap. What was that?!_ Elsa stepped back with her hands still wrapped around me and a frisky grin on her slightly puffy lips. That little smug look instantly made me narrow my eyes at her even as I struggled with my breathing. " _Ooo,_ you're _so_ bad, Elsa Mariani."

Since my hands were still under her shirt, I slid them down and pointedly flexed my fingers at her sides, making her tense under my touch. "Y-you started it, Anna Crescent." She replied shakily.

"Sure. Blame the minority." I snickered, accepting her small act of revenge. _That is probably the same thing she felt when I-_ my thought was cut off by Elsa suddenly yanking me away from the couch and over to the stairs so we could try to hide from the figure emerging from the back room.

" _Dormire,_ Starfire. _Tesoro._ " Letizia muttered after closing the refrigerator. " _Sto andando a dormire."_ There was a loud yawn that erupted from her, making me nervously bite into my lip because _hello!_ We _so_ weren't alone, dummy!

 _"Buona Notte_ , _mami."_ Elsa cleared her throat and pushed a hand through her hair, clearly thinking the same thing.

But I knew what that phrase meant. "Bella Notte, Letti." I grinned, earning myself another poke in my side, but the laugh I heard from Letizia next, had me winking at Elsa. Once the door closed again, Elsa made her way back to the TV to turn it off while I went to my duffle bag. "So, how does this go?" I asked, eyeing the couch. "Got sheets for me? Or do I get to sleep on the nice big black bear you killed and then skinned to keep it's pelt as a prize?" Gesturing to the large expensive looking rug in the middle of the floor.

Elsa snorted before glancing back in the direction of Letizia's room in thought. After another moment, she walked back over to the light switch and turned off the rest of the lights. The whole living room went dark only for a moment until it almost lit right back up by all the lights flickering outside in the skyline. My eyes suddenly fixed themselves on the shadows cast across the parquet floor thanks to the partly full moon out there and then I snapped my head back up when Elsa strode back to me. Without so much as another word, she took my hand and began to lead me away. I moved all of two steps before quickly reaching back to grab my duffle.

* * *

"What are you doing?" I felt compelled to ask when I caught Elsa putting one of her pillows right down the middle of the bed as she took her place closer to the window on that side.

"Well," She hesitated, self-consciously picking at nothing in particular on the same pillow. "You...just seemed a little shaken at having to share my bed with me. So, I thought a sort of barrier would calm you down some."

"Oh." I inwardly smacked my forehead at my stupid self, but chose to leave it and instead I shrugged nonchalantly and slid under the covers. With ease. _Oooh, these sheets!_ The silk felt _so_ divine on my skin. I let out a soft purr as I snuggled deeper into the other pillow that was under my head. _Speaking of-_ "Hey, why do you have four pillows anyway?" I decided to break the ice once again and even moved my head to rest on Elsa's 'barrier.' Seriously. I could understand the whole throw-pillow concept because it had been a thing my mother drilled into my dad, so he still fixed his bed with throw pillows too. But it was only Elsa up here with four full-sized pillows. "There's hardly any room for me." I added under my breath playfully. (Which wasn't exactly true considering her bed was pretty huge, but that was besides the point.)

"You didn't seem to notice last time." Elsa murmured and then cleared her throat when my head popped up to glare at her. "I mean, no reason."

"I get it." I smirked. "There's not many cuddle buddies around, so they'll have to do."

Elsa's smile was illuminated by the moonlight that fell directly on top of us thanks to her loft 'sunroof.' And I had to say that the pillow between us was trying to obscure my full view of her. "Which one do you cuddle with?" I asked, eyeing the very one I was lying on. Elsa shrugged her response, making me grab the one between us and I didn't hesitate to toss it behind me. When she looked curiously at me, I shrugged too. "What? That one was looking at me funny. I swear it was mocking me."

"No way." Elsa giggled. "Are you jealous?"

"Maybe." I replied, forcing myself to stop from flopping over on her side. I mean, what if that was pushing it and she freaked out? I didn't want that.

"Well, how many pillows do _you_ sleep with?" She asked, moving _just_ the tiniest bit toward me.

"One. Two if they're lucky." I chuckled. "Alas, I acclimate a good mount of heat when I sleep, so more would mean that I wake up a twig the next morning."

Elsa stifled her laughter before inching closer. "And I thought you were only wearing that tank top to impress me."

"That reminds me." I sat up and grinned down at her. "Did you get tickets?"

"Tickets?" Elsa sat up next with a curiously raised brow. "Tickets to what?"

With an idiotic smile, I lifted both of my arms and flexed as hard as I could. "Tickets to the gun show of course!" I declared, moving my arms into more poses I'd seen body builders use. Elsa immediately dropped her head into her hands and _finally_ let out a laugh that had her entire frame shaking within seconds. _Score!_ "Side note: I'm _always_ trying to impress you, Elsa Mariani." I chuckled along with her until she took a deep, calming breath, pushing her hair out of her beautiful eyes with residual giggles escaping for a few seconds more.

 _"Potrei guardarti tutto il giorno, Gattina._ " She smiled fondly at me and I couldn't help but return my own goofy smile.

"Sono pazza di te." I said as I boldly moved all the way over to her side. When Elsa stiffened somewhat at my unprecedented approach, I instantly pushed her back down and cuddled pointedly into her. "Remember the time I told you that I'm afraid of heights? So, it's your job to keep me as calm as possible up here, Snow Paw."

There was a short pause before her hand patted my head. "T-then I suggest you hold on to me." She stammered bashfully.

"And I'm afraid of monsters under the bed." I added for good measure.

"Tighter then." She said with smile in her voice. I did as she wished and slid my arm across her stomach as my head rested on her shoulder. I'd chickened out at the last moment and settled there instead of placing my head on her chest because I had no real idea how either of us would react if I did.

She didn't seem to mind either way and after a few quiet moments that only witnessed our almost inaudible breathing, I took a deeper breath. "Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Ti volgio bene." I said, trying to wonder if I'd said it right or not. Something about it was off and even Elsa's muscles tightened a little.

"I think you meant: _ti voglio bene._ " Elsa corrected after another minute of stifled silence.

 _Damn, I knew it!_ "Okay. Was that right?" I picked my head up to see her better. She kept her eyes staring straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, not willing to unwrap her arms from around me. Even though she seemed calm enough about it, I could tell she was a little let down with what I'd said.

"Was that the correct way to say it?" I asked curiously, having only skimmed through random phrases the other night and that one I thought would be best to say when the time was right. _That wasn't it. Well, considering her reaction, it can't be._ I tried to think back over what I'd read.

"What are you trying to say?" She finally brought her eyes to mine.

"Wait. What does it mean?" I suddenly frowned, not quite liking her reaction now that I saw it up close and personal. _I thought it meant-_

"It means something along the lines of 'I wish you well.' Or a more literal translation is, 'I want good (for) you.' Why?" She asked. Her fingers moved to the base of my neck so she could gently scratch the skin there, making me try to fight off a pending shiver.

"Huh." Was my response. _That's really not what I wanted to say._ "Guess I need to do better research then." I picked myself up to kiss her cheek. "Because- yes, I do wish that for you, Snow Paw. But we're a little _more_ than close friends, right?" Another kiss.

"A-a little." Elsa agreed with a more easy smile on her lips. "But what did you want to say?"

"Patience, young Jedi." I chuckled while silently drawing an invisible heart on her stomach with _I_ and _U_ on either side of it. "I'll figure it out, but you have to wait until then." I pressed a kiss her shoulder once again before biting the bullet and placing myself across her chest.

I didn't miss the hitch in her next breath as her arms tightened themselves more securely around me.

* * *

The annoying sound of an alarm clock went off somewhere in the background and made me groan in protest while I snuggled deeper into the warmth surrounding me. I was used to waking up to the sound of the radio or my iPod, but the insistent _beeping_ had my dream world come crashing back down on me. _Or is that-?_ My eyes popped open once I remembered where I was and when I glanced up, I found myself looking right into a more awake pair of cerulean pools. _Uh?_ Even the alarm went quiet.

"Get up." She whispered before making a big ole deal of rolling off of me while very nearly dragging me off the bed as she did so.

"Well a ' _good morning'_ to you too." I grumbled after her. Elsa turned back around to playfully blow a kiss at me as she continued descending the stairs. "Your hair's flawless!" I called out and then smacked myself in the forehead. "That came out wrong."

 _Already messing me up._ I let out a soft chuckle before stretching out across her sheets until I deflated and just about fell back to sleep when the sound of an old school song playing downstairs perked my ear. Without much more persuasion, I hauled myself out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. As I reached the second level, I snuck a glance at myself in the mirror and concluded that my morning hair wasn't as bad as it usually was at 6:30 a.m. this time around, so I lazily flattened it out before continuing downstairs.

 _'Spending time together. Watch out, don't let it get you down. Nothing is forever. That's right, but don't let it get you down.'_

In the kitchen, Letizia was too busy chopping up spinach to hear me approaching and once I got close enough, I pulled up a stool infront of her. She wasn't exactly ready to greet the day either, so I figured that she _always_ made sure to cook breakfast before work. Of course that didn't mean that she looked unattractive with her disheveled- _ness_ because she was as stunning as ever. _These Mariani ladies are ridiculous!_

 _'And I'm sitting in the back of a limousine. Just going to a show, wishing you were here right next to me. Oh, but you already know that I'm the one who loves you.'_

"Can I help?" I asked with a grin at my thoughts and the song, making her pull her concentration away from the cutting board.

"Good morning, _Tesoro_." Her face brightened up and she immediately slid the carton of eggs over to me, along with milk, pepper, and shredded cheese with a bowl on the side. "Mix me four- probably six eggs, a tablespoon of milk, cheese and pepper in that bowl while I set up the rest, please?"

"You trust me with eggs?" I asked, carefully taking one out of the carton. _'Cause I wouldn't._

"I trust you with my daughter, don't I?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder arrogantly as she smirked at me, making me bring a hand up to smack my forehead again.

" _Touché._ " I chuckled while my face didn't hesitate to heat up in embarrassment.

"What? Don't you cook?" Letizia mercifully dropped _that_ topic and asked as she brought out a small pan which was sprayed first before she began lining the bottoms with what looked like ham.

 _Crack!_ "U-um, only in _dire_ emergencies." I hurriedly dumped my first overflowing egg into the bowl. "Meaning that I only make noodles when Dad isn't around." _Crack!_ My next attempt left half a chunk of shell in the bowl, which I tried to take back out before she saw me.

"Don't tell me you eat noodles with potato chips." Letizia growled at me when I virtually shrunk under her sharp eyes. Because I did. "Anna Crescent. _Chi mangia da solo si strozza._ " She _tsk'd_ me with a shake of her head.

"I-I make a mean serving of macaroni." I tried to defend myself. "Cooking is just something I never got to pick up on."

"You're good at a lot of other things though." Elsa appeared beside me with a comforting hand to my back as she shot her mother a pointed look. She took the liberty of adding the cheese and pepper while I struggled through the last couple of eggs. Thankfully no more shells ended up in the bowl after that.

"Yes, you can sing and dance. What else do you do?" Letizia grinned at us when Elsa reached over to make me slow down on the stirring so I didn't dump half the bowl on the counter. _But she didn't exactly say how to mix it did she?_ When Elsa decided the correct speed for me, she reached over to add the spinach.

"I work at Black Bear Auto." I replied, refusing to take my eyes off my task at hand, lest I mess it up.

"Really?" She sounded so intrigued that I _had_ to break my concentration to look up at her.

"Yeah. I _did_ mention the bike I was working on, didn't I?" I asked, glancing back to Elsa with a slightly confused frown.

She merely shrugged. " _Mami_ probably thought you meant someone else was working on it for you."

"So you fix cars? And motor bikes?" Letizia's chin was propped up on her palm in curiosity.

I nodded animatedly and handed her the bowl so she could pour it into the pan. "I even taught Elsa how to change oil one time." I sent a smile to the beautiful girl on my right, causing a light flush to capture her cheeks.

"Wow, an actual mechanic." Letizia chuckled deviously. " _Hai trovato pane per i tuoi denti,_ huh Starfire"

" _S-Sta zitta!"_ Elsa's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she buried her face in her hands. Letizia was too busy walking away and laughing loudly after setting a timer for what she'd placed in the oven. A brow raised on my forehead and I looked from one blonde to the other in confusion.

"Okay, what happened?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Stay over more often and we'll be happy to teach you how to cook, _Tesoro!_ "Letizia called over her shoulder before closing her door.

Once she did, I looked back at Elsa expectantly. "I don't know. She's crazy." Elsa awkwardly cleared her throat and then lead me back up the stairs with that adorable flushed face of hers never fading.

 _What'd she say?!_

* * *

 _A/N: And the chapters continue to get longer! Ahem. Excuse my Italian if it's horribly incorrect. Heh._ _ **I own nothing.**_

 _I was wondering how the night would turn out...*wink* Anna's a total dork. But I hope you liked it anyway. Thank you for reading and for your support!_

 _C-3PO...R2-D2...Millenium Falcon...Morte Nera..._

 _;) Tootles~_


	29. The Prankster's Heart

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _"Anna Crescent. Please report to the principal's office immediately. Bring your things."_

My hand froze mid-sentence and I looked up to the front just as a round of ' _ooh's'_ erupted from behind me. Glancing around, I made sure I heard that right before the teacher cleared her throat.

"You heard the man." She jabbed her thumb to the door pointedly. I gulped nervously and then stuffed my notebook back in my bag. _What'd I do now?_ I thought while hauling myself up from the desk.

"Don't drop the soap." Kida whispered a little too loudly, making me whirl back around to slap her in the shoulder. Hard. She yelped, but didn't hesitate to stick her tongue out at me and then started cracking up. On the other hand, the other students were too busy laughing thier heads off to notice my face burning as I eagerly rushed out of there. _Stupid Kida!_

As I made my way toward the stairs, I took the opportunity to straighten up my clothes, lest I get written up again. My mind wondered back to what I could have possibly done wrong. _Other than engaging in a pushing stunt with Ariel?_ I snorted to myself. _No. She had no right making fun of Ralph's inability to climb the ropes in gym._ He was the best left tackle the school had ever seen and since I could only stand so much of her big mouth, I didn't hesitate to shut her up for that.

 _Sticking the tip of Coach's straw in a packet of ketchup?_ A smug grin curved my lips upward. _No. Funny, but not enough to send me to my doom._ I turned down another hall after descending the stairs. _Writing Kida's name and number on a stall in the girls' locker room?_ That time a chuckle escaped my throat when I remembered her reaction to all the girls that began blowing her phone up. Of course she repaid me by sneaking into the boys' restroom to do the exact same thing to me.

Both of us ended up changing our numbers that weekend.

The office came into view. _Mixing Mr. Kwalski's ever present container of M &Ms with skittles?_ Another wider grin tugged at my lips because he'd had quite the hilarious reaction to that one. And then my personal favorite would have to be taping a harmonica to the grille of the Weasel's car. I even got to hear him driving off and once he went past a certain speed, the harmonica began blasting, making him all but freak out as he screeched to a stop in the middle of the road.

They were all good and funny, but none exactly screamed more suspension days. Even more so because they had yet to catch me. _So, what is it then?_ I stepped into the office to see Elsa seated tensely on one of the waiting chairs situated across from the secretary's desk and when our eyes met, she instantly shot out of the chair.

"Hi." Elsa's posture was still rigid, but she did try to smile warmly at me.

"Hey, Snow Paw." I gave her a more convincing smile and didn't hesitate to lean in so I could press a chaste kiss to her cheek since we were the only ones there for the moment. "What are you doing here?" Looking back around, I barely noticed that even the person who called me out of class wasn't there. _Was it Gerda then? If so, where is she?_ I knew Elsa's voice and she just plain wouldn't use the intercom unless it was a dire emergency. Even then, I wasn't completely sure if she would use it or not.

"I'm here because we need to talk." Elsa broke through my thoughts and glanced around nervously before taking my hand so she could lead me out of the office.

My stomach fell as I followed along without another word. _We need to talk?_ From my previous experiences with hearing that horrifying line in movies and whatnot, I had no choice but to think the worst. I even read somewhere that those four words always raised a good amount of red flags in a relationship. The thought was enough to make me go over my behavior for the last couple of days. _Oh man, oh man, oh man! What have I done?_ Elsa made a sharp left, causing me to stumble a bit. _Did I push it somewhere? Come on too strong? Am I moving too slow? Too fast?_ Bothersome chills licked up my spine in horror. _This is because I said 'Ti voglio bene' and not 'Ti amo' the other night isn't it?_ A small part of me snorted at that, but I was too paranoid to care and as we neared the boardroom I grew more and more freaked out. _Maybe I could have told her that I wanted it to have a stronger meaning than that between friends right then and there instead of telling her to wait until I figured it out myself?_

"Anna."

 _No!_ We were just inside the boardroom when she turned to look at me with a serious expression in her eyes. The pressure was too much for me to take, so shakily I stepped forward and sealed my lips over hers, causing her hands to come up so she could grip my shoulders. I thought I felt her try to ease me back and my stomach instantly lurched. "I-I'm sorry!" I pulled away, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding semi. Elsa blinked. "Whatever I did, I-I'm sorry. Don't- give me a second- wait, _please_ give me a second chance. I didn't mean 'don't' like don't, don't give me a second chance, but as in don't let me go- _ugh!_ That's-" I forced out a breath and grasped her hands frantically.

"A-Anna?"

"We can fix this, Snow Paw." I kissed her knuckles. "The other night I meant to say _Ti amo._ B-because I _do_ want what's best for you, but I would also like it if _I_ had a fighting chance to be one of those things that was best for you too." I finally looked up into her wide cerulean eyes. "Elsa, Ti amo." I whispered on the verge of tears. "Just-"

Elsa finally put me out of my misery and smashed her lips to mine for a short second before whispering back. " _Ti amo anch'io."_ Her mood brightened substantially in the blink of an eye, but before she could get swept up in it, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "U-um, I was actually going to tell you that we had a problem with the DJ." Stepping back, she turned to address the others in the room.

My face paled at the sight of Kai, Gerda, Hans and a few other people seated around the tables. They all shot their eyes in different directions when I glanced around too. _Wait, what?!_

"The- the DJ?" I squeaked, feeling an embarrassing blush capture my entire body. Mercifully, the rest of the council members began to disperse when the bell rang for lunch. "The DJ. For the Winter Formal." I confirmed myself. "A-and that was a scene from the next play that the Drama Club is going to do!"

"Sure it is." Kai snickered knowingly.

"Can it, Andersen! I have insider's information." I glared at him, though it probably wasn't convincing enough with my red face and all.

"I'll bet you do, Miss Crescent." He tipped an invisible hat to us. As he passed me, I raised my fist and threatened to punch him, making him cower away and bump into a giggling Gerda.

"That was quite romantic, Anna." She patted my back with the widest grin I'd seen her wear yet. "But I'd watch my PDA if I were you two."

"I'll show _you_ PDA, Gerda Halstead!"I shot back when she entered the flow of students.

"Please don't." Elsa stated quietly, causing me to turn back to her and gulp thickly.

"Well- I wasn't actually going-" I barked out a nervous chuckle, bringing my hand up to scratch at the base of my neck. _Help, I'm so lame!_

"You two definitely know how to put on a show." Hans slid up to us and boldly draped his arm over my shoulders. Elsa's eyes darted to his unwanted gesture before smiling a little too sweetly at him while taking a step closer to my side. Just from that reaction alone, I knew she wanted to smack him away from my personal space and to say that I was flattered beyond compare would be an understatement.

"If you'll excuse us, Hans." Her body language and voice shifted enough to make him ultimately remove his arm and he backed up with an easy, yet cautious smirk on his face.

"Yeah, don't tease my inner prankster, Han Solo." I grinned deviously at him. "You've seen some of the things I'm capable of."

Hazel eyes widened once my words set in his mind. "Yes. I don't want to get stuck in a classroom with my hands under a glass of water again." He seemed to remember and his palms came up in surrender as he turned to go as well.

"Touch me without my permission again and I'll see what I can do about that nice _Nissan_ of yours out there." I added with a dangerously friendly wave of my hand.

Hans Marsden hadn't gotten the concept of 'no means _no_ ' yet, so I took the liberty to save some of my best pranks for him and him alone. Besides the cup of water, I had ganked his locker combination, broke into said locker and transferred all his belongings to the lost and found one day. Also the one time he tried to get hands-y with me as he walked me to class, I spent the last part of that class writing 'kick me' on a pink sticky-note and didn't hesitate to catch up to him so I could stick it on his back. I had a few more up my sleeve and as mentioned, they were much bigger than before, so it was up to him if he wanted to keep being a creeper or not.

His response to my threat was a simple wink. _Alright._

When his pretty boy mug was out of sight, Elsa and I let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. "Why is everyone so enamored with you, _Gattina?_ " Elsa actually grumbled as she walked back to her desk, unbuttoning her blazer as she did so. I noticed that it was something she and other students normally did when they sat down but wanted to keep it on. Mainly because the blazer would bunch up around their chests if it was still buttoned and it just ended up just looking silly, not to mention, slightly uncomfortable. Mine was usually left unbuttoned to begin with so it never bothered me. _Anyway..._

"I don't know." I threw my hands up dramatically. "But hey, don't go dissin' Homeboy so fast. I thought you two were friends." I pointed out, missing the twitch of slight irritation flit across her face as I pulled my phone out to put it on silent. Kida and the guys had started texting out of nowhere, asking what the heck was happening to me.

"We _are_ friends." Elsa sighed, making me glance at her before shoving my phone back in my pocket. "But he should understand that he shouldn't be crossing certain boundaries."

"You mean me?" I asked with the barest hint of hope in my voice as I gestured to myself. _This is it!_ I was thinking that this would be the perfect time for her to finally confess some form of jealousy to someone else vying for my affection. _Attention_ at the very least.

"Toying with someone's feelings. Especially the younger girls." She clarified, eyes falling to the screen infront of her. _Oh._ My shoulders slumped, but I understood what she was implying.

"True. And, again, I don't know why he's been following me around acting like he's trying to woo me." I admitted, watching as a small shift in her brow turned her face just a bit more stoic than it had been two seconds ago. _Huh._ I _could_ have tried once more to get her jealousy admission, but decided against it as I then suddenly batted my eyes at her. "Guess I could ask _you_ why you're so enamored with me in the first place." When I topped off my expression with a smirk, she stopped messing with the laptop and leaned back in her chair so she could glare at me. _Then again._ Something about that particular look made me remember what had gone down _just_ a few minutes ago with me acting like a complete idiot. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment all over again.

"Yeah, l-let's forget about that." My feet shuffled seal-consciously. "About before..." I began and wandered closer to her before dropping my bag on the other side of her desk. "I-I seriously thought that you and I- that you were going to-"

Elsa immediately stood up and took both sides of my blazer in her hands. My eyes widened in surprise as she pulled my lips to hers, cutting off the rest of what I wanted to say with a kiss deep and open enough that I was instantly reminded to forget what I was worried about in the first place. "Again: it was _you_ that said to _not_ bring that topic up." Were her hotly whispered words against my lips. The kiss didn't last long, but when she did break it, I was still fairly breathless and dizzy and it made me place my hands on the desk infront of us lest I fall over.

"S-stupid me." I replied with a goofy, lovesick grin on my lips. _The things she does to me._

"And what's this new behavior between you and Hans?" Elsa suddenly pulled back over to her side to ask, eyes carefully prodding mine. I let her have at it because I had nothing to hide from those captivating orbs.

"You mean you haven't figured it out?" I asked, coming back from cloud nine and back into the boardroom unfortunately.

"I have." She nodded somberly. "I don't like it."

"Neither do I." My hands came up to straighten my clothes once more. Once I did, I caught her hand and moved around on the same side of the desk to put less distance between us. "But don't worry." I assured, ducking my head. "I-I sort of just declared my feelings for you infront of half your board members, remember? So them and pretty much _all_ of the school knows where my loyalty lies. Thanks to that Psychotic Raging Redhead." I eyed her playfully as she sat back down in her power chair.

"Don't call her that." Elsa couldn't stop the small fit of giggles that erupted.

"I can't help it." I rolled my eyes. "Did you know she's _still_ trying to get me in trouble? It's like she likes me or something." Thinking about it, I added, "But I would say that it's more of the preschool/elementary situation where the one who has a crush intentionally picks on the other poor little thing."

"Huh." Elsa wasn't impressed. At _me_ or Ariel, I wasn't sure. Seeing as she drew her attention back to the screen while my hand stayed in hers.

"Seriously, she's like insistently _picking_ on people while I'm standing right there. The other day she kept trash-talking Ralph Butler because he couldn't climb the ropes."

"Did you do anything?"

I sighed heavily. "Yeah, but it wasn't anything too over-the-top."

Blue eyes lifted and narrowed skeptically at me. Nibbling on my lip, I let her hand go and looked away. "I believe you." She finally breathed after making me feel a bit more stupid, but I dared not tell her that. It was just me pitying myself and she didn't need to learn of that so she could apologize for something trivial. And I _did_ figure that we could probably be arguing about things like this at a later time, for now though, I didn't want to think about it.

"It was nothing more than a few pushes. Coach had us do some laps for it."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry." I blurted, making Elsa immediately reach over to take my hand in hers again.

"It's fine, _Gattina._ " Our eyes met. "I know that everything you do has a reason. But that reminds me. What on earth made you think I wanted to break up with you?" She cleared her throat, bringing our hands closer to her mouth to press an apologetic kiss to my knuckles.

My mind reeled instantly. "You said: _we need to talk._ " I shrugged and easily dropped the Hans and Ariel topics for, hopefully, the rest of the day. "Naturally, I figured I did something wrong and ended up scaring the crap out of myself before we even got here."

"That's ridiculous." Elsa shook her head. "What could _you_ possibly have done to make me do something like that?"

"I don't know, probe?" I snickered.

"Yeah, that'll work." She said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and removed my hand from her grasp, only to take the two steps that landed me right in her lap. Her hands instantly came around to steady me. "Well, _dang_. Don't use those four words and the intercom the next time you want to talk to me about school issues, then." My face twisted into an idiotic grin. "I was walking right behind you the whole time thinking things like: _What'd I do to cause this tension? I left the toilet seat up. I was singing too loud in the shower. I made her sit through a showing of the Blues Brothers. I borrowed a pencil and didn't give it back._ _What is it, woman, what?!"_ My hands emphasized my utter distress, making her look sympathetically at me. "And then I pour my heart out to you and you're like: _oh it's actually not that important. Just the stupid DJ._ " Pouting at her, I ignored her more pointed look and added, "Take your time yanking my heart guts around why don't you?"

"..." Elsa's mouth opened and closed for a few more times before she brought her hand up to ultimately drop her face into it in a heavy face palm. "I can't- what?" She spluttered uncharacteristically.

" _Ah._ Stunned to silence I see."

"You're impossible!" She hissed, wasting no time in pinching my side. I let out a laugh at my ridiculous behavior until her hand presented itself to my cheek so she could draw me closer to her hypnotic mouth. "No. You're actually _such_ a Princess." Her lips brushed mine teasingly.

"Barbie." I shot back, pulling myself away so I could wrinkle my nose at her.

" _Princess_." Elsa cooed, unfazed for the first time at my particular jab.

"No." I growled.

"Princess?"

"Stop it."

"Prin-" That time, I lifted her head up so I could push my lips against hers. _Oh man. She's actually giving me a taste of my own medicine!_ Of course, two could play that game. Cupping her cheeks to make sure she didn't try to pull away, I moved off her lap for a split-second and in one fluid motion, I was straddling her. My knees pressed themselves on either side of her hips when her own hands came up to grasp my sides. In the back of my mind, I wondered if Hans had closed the door behind him, but that didn't matter when Elsa broke for air first and left her gorgeously smooth neck open.

Leaning in carefully, I first placed a careful peck to her cheek and then as I gained more confidence, a few more along her amazing jawline until I reached the same spot I'd encountered the other night. Elsa's receptive hands inched up my back until they slid into my hair. The simple act caused tingles all down my spine and I responded by opening my mouth against the tender flesh just beneath her ear. The fingers in my hair twitched invitingly and I slipped one hand to the other side of her head so I could bury it in her luscious locks too, while my free hand kept me from possibly losing my balance.

A soft ' _mmm_ ' vibrated against my lips and there was a faint tickling of lashes against my temple that let me know that icy blues had squeezed shut. The feeling was enticing enough to make my lips fall a little lower to the tasty softness of her throat before nuzzling back into the spot just behind her ear. That time I felt her jaw flex when I grazed it with my thumb and I was introduced to the wonderful sensation of her neck bobbing as she gulped. _Oomph._ I couldn't help but gently close my teeth around a patch of skin below her jaw. Elsa forced out a breath at that, making me smooth it over with a kiss before gliding lower. The scent of her skin was quite addictive and I found myself drawing in a deep, curious, breath that made the girl under me shiver.

Without much thought, I used the hand that was already back behind her skull to tangle in thick locks so I could coax her glorious head upwards, opening up her throat to me and once my lips got midway, the tip of my tongue experimentally presented itself to slide up a tiny bit. Elsa gulped down a whimper and her hands instantly flexed in my hair, forcing out an excited breath from me as the taste of her skin exploded across my taste buds. I wanted more. More of those vibrations against my tongue. More of those cute little sounds she'd made.

But her blazer was in the way.

The more adventurous side of me suddenly reached upward, creating just enough space between us to place my hand at her tie and then further down to her hip before sliding back up in confused query. Reason being that I didn't exactly know _how_ to ask her to take it off and just about gave up when she craned forward so my lips couldn't get out of reach. Her hands left my hair and she surprised me by angling her shoulders back with a clear invitation to take it off completely. _F-fudge!_ Like I'd be stupid enough turn that one down.

So I pushed the pesky blazer off her shoulders, down her arms until she pulled her hands out of the cuffs. Once that task was done, she brought her hands up to gently cup my face. Her lips met mine once more and for a minute, I'd forgotten _why_ I wanted her blazer off in the first place because her touch had momentarily caused my brain to short-circuit. Something about it was insistent enough to let me know that she didn't want to end the kiss. She didn't want me to stop closing my lips around her top one, or that my tongue didn't forget to meet each caress she made with her own. So I didn't. And it was awesome.

I actually didn't remember my hands until she pulsed into me. It was an odd sensation that started by her chest pressing against mine and then ending with her hips. A delicate little roll of her whole body that confused me for only a moment. That moment ended when she lightly bit into my lower lip and I couldn't help but push right back against her hips. My own small groan left my mouth as I let my hands rest against her hips. From there, they traced upward, along the arc of her waist to her back. They followed every contour of muscle and bone all the way up to her shoulder blades, where I pressed to bring her closer to me.

When Elsa finally let a more needy moan escaped her throat, I instantly pulled back to place my forehead on hers. We were left panting and I didn't hesitate to bury my face in her neck again with another idiotic grin on my lips. "Whoa." I felt compelled to breathe, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the juncture of where her neck met her shoulder. " _You_ started it this time, Snow Paw." I couldn't stop myself from placing another kiss to her earlobe. The adventurous side of me wanted to see what would happen if I took it in my mouth, but decided not to when I finally heard just how _erratic_ her breathing had become. _Whoops._

Elsa took a few moments to catch her breath. "N-no." A breathy giggle. "You did, _Gattina."_

I smiled at the thought that she was done calling me 'princess' for now. Not to mention that she was as flushed as she was _because_ of me. Nothing came close to the way I felt in that moment. "Did not."

"Did so."

"Nuh-uh."

"You said ' _Ti amo'_ first."

That time practically I stopped functioning as realization fell over me. _That's right, isn't it?_ "So I did." I eventually admitted. My cheek tenderly rubbed against hers before I pulled back to look into suddenly shy arctic blue pools. Actually, they were more of an indigo color now, (accompanied with an attractive flush,) but I tried not to pay too much attention to that lest we end up...doing something more? "But you _did_ respond." I nodded in agreement with myself. "Guess that means you kinda like me too, huh?" My smile was palpable.

"Why do you think I let you take my blazer off?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I thought you were just overheating." I couldn't stop the snicker from leaving me. "Why, is that blazer a symbol of something? Mind you, we've kissed without its presence plenty of times."

"Not at school like that, though." Elsa pointed out, not willing either of us to move yet.

I cleared my throat sheepishly, avoiding eye-contact. "T-that's true." Thinking about that, I suddenly craned my neck to see if the door was actually closed or not and mercifully it was. _Good._

"And I happen to like you." Elsa brought my attention back to her. "A _lot._ "

"You do, do you?" I smirked, slipping my hands comfortably around her neck. "Of course, I've got some cotton to pick with you, my lovely."

"Fire away."

"What. On. Earth. Did Letti say the other night?" I felt the need to reiterate because it was driving me crazy. "Now, I'm aware the _Googles_ has that translation thing, but I'm not efficient enough in spelling everything else out." Seriously, I usually spent half the night _trying_ to find out bits and pieces of the words I'd heard them use...it never went over well.

Elsa looked away, but I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger to turn her back to me. "She- she was just teasing me. Nothing big."

"So says your adorably flushed face." I grinned. "Fine." Pulling back, I folded my arms over my chest. "If you can't tell me what she said, you _have_ to tell me what you were," pause. "Telling me, I suppose."

"I don't remember." She grinned back, making me growl at her.

"Don't make me bite you, Elsa Mariani." I warned.

"You wouldn't dare."

Without another word, I leaned back in and breathed hotly right at that same spot, causing Elsa to take a sharp intake of breath. "I can make sure it takes awhile to fade." I whispered, actually taking her earlobe in my mouth.

"An- _ah!"_ Her glorious squeak made chills break out across my forearms, regardless of my jacket. And when her hands returned to my back to grip at my blazer, I let go so I could gently lead my nose down her throat.

"Still not talking?" My voice came out rough. "I have no problem staking my claim. Right," Slipping my hand up, I placed my pointer directly on her pulse point. "Here." I didn't have a problem whatsoever, but something told me that I could have been pushing it, so I pulled back to kiss her cheek. Elsa blew out a breath and lead my lips to hers for a short second as her arms wound around my shoulders.

 _"Ecciti i mei sensi."_ She whispered into my mouth after a moment."You excite my senses." I nodded in a slight haze as she continued to nibble on my lower lip. _"Ti ho regalato il mio cuore."_ That time she pulled me into more of a hug while her lips left mine to nip playfully at my nose."I gave you my heart." At that, I pulled back with a question right on the tip of my tongue, but she placed a lone finger to my lips. _"Nessuna è come te."_ Her eyes began to get more shy and I felt a warmth building in my chest because of it. "No one is like you." That got a smile out of me, regardless that my heart was pounding in my chest. _"S-sono innamorata di te."_ Elsa faltered badly, but I wiped that away as I gazed into her eyes, pushing my hands through her bangs soothingly."I'm...in love with you."

"I-" My mouth opened, only to be covered by her hand.

 _"Potrei guardarti tutto il giorno."_ She gulped nervously."I-I could watch you all day."

There was a few moments of silence as we only stared at each other. I was utterly shell-shocked. _She-she really-_ The thought that she'd said all these things to me without hesitation the other night...it was mind-blowing! _She really likes me._ It was one thing to love someone. A person could say that they love their pets, their family, the world, their instrument, but it was something else entirely to _like_ something. There were dogs that didn't listen, a sister that constantly picked fights with you and through it all, you have _one_ that's just perfect. One you didn't mind hanging out with all the time, missed constantly, one you genuinely _liked._

I was that person to Elsa Mariani.

Instead of saying anything with my clumsy tongue, I simply leaned back in to pour all that I'd just felt into a kiss so telling that I felt joyous and terrified at the same time. Elsa's breath was so incredibly shaky and it let me know she was feeling exactly the same way. Both of us, I assumed, had parts that wanted to _take_ and _claim_ , seeing as I almost marked her neck, but there was a stronger one I sensed every time we were together and that was to _comfort_ and _protect_ her.

My fingers tenderly traced under her eyes to clear away the tear-tracks away from her soft cheeks. My heart beat wildly as I leaned up to kiss both closed eyelids, using my hands next to trail back into the base of her neck. "I positively _adore_ you, Elsa Mariani." I said quietly, placing my forehead on hers. She didn't say anything, but she did lead my back to hers and _Freyja_ was it sweet! Soft and tender with her warm breath cascading over my skin as our lips slid together. Slow, too. My fingers carefully stroked her beautiful face and even as the kiss deepened, it wasn't rushed, it didn't turn frantic at all. It stayed light and lingering, bringing up the amazing realization of having something so _right_ that my stomach flopped. _Wow._

 _"Mi hai incantata."_ Elsa's voice was just above a whisper. "You have enchanted me."

* * *

"Okay, since I get to skip my next hour," I glanced around. "What can I do?"

"Just stand there." Elsa joked before pushing a hand through her hair as she contemplated something on her laptop. "I'm just trying to get in touch with DJ Diss-spinner."

That name instantly make me snort. "DJ Diss-spinner? What the heck kind of name is that?"

"Hans' recommendation." She waved away my comment. _Figures._

"Well, what- why's he not showing up?" I leaned back in my chair haughtily. "Did he say why he wigged out on us?"

"No." Elsa huffed. "He just said he couldn't do it."

"Did you pay him yet?"

"I told them to wait until he showed up to pay him." Blue eyes slid shut as her fingers came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. _Oh. Whoa._

"Idiot bumbags!" I coughed, making her try to smile, though I could see the clear frustration on her face. I didn't like seeing her like that. _There's gotta be something I can do._ A small defiant growl left my mouth. "Do you have everything set up? Like speakers and whatnot?" I asked, feeling the spark of an idea somewhere in the back of my mind.

"We do. But I wonder if the Glee Club would be willing to do it." She was now beginning to chew on her nails. Something I knew wasn't a good sign. Jumping up from my seat, I leaned over her desk to plant a loud kiss to her lips, making her splutter when I smile stupidly at her.

"You're lucky you're dating me." I winked at her before turning around and pulling my phone out of my pocket.

"Anna-"

I held my finger to my devious grinning lips. "Our secret." She gave up trying to tell me to put it away and instead stared curiously at me. I waited patiently for my dad to pick up since I had some time to kill before the next class.

 _"What do you think you're doing, Panda? Schools in session._ "

I tried not to roll my eyes. "I know, but dad? We're in dire need of your help."

There was a short pause. _"What is it?"_

"I need...Gru's number."

" _No."_ He snapped.

" _Daaad!_ It's important!" I whined.

 _"You realize he stole some very important equipment from me, right? I can't trust him anymore."_

"Yet you _still_ have his number in your phone." I huffed. "We both know he's not the same as before. Remember his three little girls?"

 _"Why do you need his number anyway?"_ He sounded like he was trying rush the rest of this conversation.

"I need to get a hold of Stuart." I answered. "I'll tell you about it later.

 _"Fine. But don't tell Gru where I work now."_

"Two hangars over?" I chuckled, making him growl at me. "Okay, okay. Just tell me so we can get back to our jobs."

When we hung up, I wasted no time in calling the number he gave me and _just_ like I'd predicted, Stuart said yes.

"Who's the best girl-" I pumped my fist, skipping back to Elsa's desk where she was still watching me. "Friend?" I stuck my hand out for her to slap it. It took her a minute, but when she finally got me, I'd already felt like a bigger idiot.

"You?" She answered cautiously.

I nodded enthusiastically. " _I_ just got us a DJ Minion who says he'll do the thing for free." When Elsa only looked skeptically at me, I smirked. "Yes, you heard right. _Free._ Like, Free ninety-nine. As in, you don't have to pay him for setting up his disk jockey table so all the shy boys and girls can have a dance at the last five minutes of the whole thing." Thinking it over, I added, "And he's not too bad either. No _Aoki_ yet, but he'll do for a high school shindig."

"You are incredible." Elsa finally said and got out of her chair to wrap me up in a grateful hug.

"Anything for you, Snow Paw." I chuckled before snarling playfully and burying my face in her neck.

"A-Anna!" Elsa yelped.

* * *

 _A/N: Aww brains! I tried to get this chapter (or some other one-shot) up while it was still Valentine's Day (here) but I guess the odds are not in my favor tonight...Oh well^^ *eyes widen* and they continue to get longer! Maybe I'll have some form of control soon enough. Maybe._

 _But I mean, who could blame me when I went to see Deadpool and then found out that I can still draw! *clears throat* That's irrelevant. Of course, I do hope you all had as lovely a Valentine's Day as I did. If not, that's okay. Candy=cavities!_

 _I also hope you liked the chapter. I was a bit inspired by all the looove. (Kind of.) Reviews=happiness for me. As do faves and likes. **I own nothing.**  
_

 _P.S. Go see Deadpool if you haven't. It's insane!_

 _Tootles~_


	30. Dominant Chickens

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Lunch.

I'd just taken the biggest bite of my delicious homemade chicken sandwich when the obnoxious _crinkle_ of a shopping bag sounded to my right. In the next instant, a load of candy spilled over as Olaf plopped himself next to me and continued dumping the bag's contents all across the table. With a confused and slightly concerned brow, I moved over to see him sticking his tongue out while sorting the candies and then flattening out a wide poster board infront of him.

I carefully swallowed the partly chewed food before clearing my throat and just as I opened my mouth to ask him if he was doing alright, excited, yet nervous gray eyes met mine. "I need your help, Anna." He said first, making the question die on my tongue and as much as I liked the song playing in the left side of my ear, I pulled my earbud out to give him my attention.

"With what, contracting two or more cavities? Or possibly getting wasted on all this sugar so we can bounce off the walls?" I asked, placing my sandwich back on the wrapper. When I turned in my seat, I could see that he'd chosen a particular few that I'd never seen him eat before. I wiped my hands first and then reached over to pick a red box up. "You don't even eat _Hot Tamales_ , O." I stated.

"I-I know." He stammered, turning a shade pinker. "I want to ask someone to the Formal and I need your help arranging these candies into a...proposal-invite-thing."

"Ohh, I see." I chuckled as it fully dawned on me. Instead of teasing him, I took another contemplative bite and then wiped my hands again so I could look through the rest of the candy. "Who is it for?" I half expected him to say Kida right off the bat, but he only turned a little more shy and began to idly move the _Nerds_ around with his fingers.

"She doesn't go to school here." Was his nearly silent reply.

"Does Sen have a sister?" I joked. Olaf didn't say anything so I turned back to take a sip of my drink. _Seriously, buddy._ Though, I also had to wonder about who it could be. Knowing him, she could be from Corona, or Guardian Academy, or basically _anywhere_ because Olaf's parents were pretty renowned. What, with his dad owning one of the best law firms in Arendelle, his mom being an amazing wedding planner, _and_ his older brother who ran a club down by the docks...yeah the little guy had plenty of connections where I didn't. So his interest could be anyone.

"It's- I-I want to ask Felicity." He finally answered after I all but finished my food.

"Oak's daughter?" I asked with wide eyes, nearly choking on my next drink of juice when he nodded.

"Sweet!" I slapped his shoulder. "Okay, so we can use..." my eyes quickly scanned over his selection again while I tried to piece a message together with the titles. "You _do_ realize that the dance is _tomorrow_ , right?" I asked distractedly.

"Yeah. I just hope that she doesn't have any plans." Olaf sighed heavily, leaning his head on the table. "I was going to ask Kida, but she said that she already had a date."

"Really?" A brow of mine rose in curiosity. "Do we know him?"

"Nah, he's apparently from overseas and he'll be flying out here to take her to the dance." He chortled to himself.

"Now _that's_ dedication." I smirked. "But she's still a complete mystery."

"For real." Olaf agreed.

I waved the thought away, lest we end up talking about Kida for the rest of the day. "Alright, so since Kristoff and said girl are too busy with their own agendas to meet us for lunch, let's get this message written out."

"What about Elsa?" Olaf suddenly questioned like he only just realized that I wasn't in the boardroom for once.

A lopsided grin captured my lips. "While it's quite obvious that we're going together, I actually have a plan to ask her. Because I'm a romantic like that. And because I'm also an awesome friend, I'll need you, Kristoff, Kida and Sen's help with my _proposal_." I gloated and then let out a sigh. "Alas, she's a little too busy bossing everyone around in the gym right now for me to get in the middle of it."

"You're a distraction for her, eh?" Olaf shimmied over to me with a wide impish grin on his lips.

I smiled back unabashedly. "Yup. It's good for when she's stressed out, but not when she _actually_ needs to concentrate."

"So, she only kicks you out when absolutely necessary." He nodded. "I accept that."

"Me too." I agreed, clapping my hands together. "Okay, what exactly do you want to say?"

Olaf readily took the spotlight off of me and proceeded to concentrate on the task at hand. "How about we start out with ' _Hey there-_ " he slid the _Babe Ruth_ over and covered the _Ruth._ "' _Babe,'_ I hope- something with the _Nerds, Snickers, Take 5, Good & Plenty, Hot Tamales,_ and _Smarties._ "

I let those words tumble around in my head for a short second and then brought out a piece of paper to scribble down what I thought would be easy enough to to capture my friend's quirkiness. (With a few other choices from his list.) _Really, we need to be able to read the whole message._ Once I was done, I slid the paper over and quietly waited for him to give me his verdict.

"I knew you'd pull through, you hopeless romantic." Olaf laughed out loud before throwing his arms around me in a grateful hug.

It read: "Hey there, _Babe_ _._ " _Ruth_ was covered with a piece of paper. "I know this is _Nerdy-_ " there was a drawn in ' _Y '_ where the ' _S'_ usually was, "so don't _Snicker._ " The other ' _S'_ was marked out too. "But I want my first Formal to be _Extra_ special!" The pack of gum made up that part. "I hope you won't be an _Air Head ,_ _"_ also that ' _S'_ was colored in. "And say _NO_." With a red slash through it. "So will you be my date and make my night _Mounds_ of fun?" Topped off with his name at the bottom.

* * *

After School.

"Anna! Where is the nearest _Chick fil-A!"_ Kristoff appeared out of nowhere and pulled me away from my path of heading to the boardroom.

"Hi, Kristoff." I said flatly, making him clear his throat after a few seconds of him catching his breath. Pushing his hands off my shoulders, I pointedly fixed my clothes and waited for him to give me a proper greeting first before I said anything else.

"Hey, _Babette_." He gave me a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I meant to ask that a little more smoothly."

The way he was shifting from foot to foot made my own feet begin to get restless without so much as a warning. "Wait, where have you been, anyway?" I asked, helplessly getting caught up in his excitement too.

"Kida made me take her to the airport to pick her _man-candy_ up during lunch." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

But at that bit of casual information, I instantly stepped closer to grab his tie. "Give me deets, man." I partly growled and then flicked his nose teasingly. "And do me a favor? _Never_ say 'man-candy' again."

Kristoff didn't even blink. "Deal. Guide me to _Chick fil-A_ first and I'll tell you about them."

There was a short pause as his words hit me. "You mean you want me to go with you?" I asked with a curiously raised brow.

"Come one, Anna. The clock is ticking and I want to try to meet Sen before she goes to work." That time he pulled his phone from his back pocket to check the time while my face fell a little.

 _Crap!_ I'd forgotten Sen had a job too. Before I knew it, my brain began telling me that my plans were ruined, but I shoved the thoughts away before I got discouraged. _No. This can still work._ With determined eyes, I let his tie go so I could take a step back. "Fine. But, first, I need to tell Elsa to meet me at the mall too." Without waiting for him to reply, I twirled on my heel and started marching the rest of the way to the boardroom.

Behind me, I heard Kristoff struggle to catch up and when he did, he leaned in to say in a low voice. "Kida's man's name is Milo Thatch and he's a total nerd."

A chuckle almost made it's way out of my mouth because of the way he'd told me, but I managed to choke it down."Oh, be nice." I scoffed, reaching back to push my fist into his firm stomach. "Ladies love the nerds." I informed on a snicker. _Pfft! Like I know._

Kristoff snorted skeptically and confirmed my last thought. "How do you know that? You're no nerd."

"I figure they appreciate women more because spend more time trying to _understand_ things than say, oh-watching sports and playing video games?" I winked at him. Of course my information could have been wholly incorrect because while I didn't exactly peg Kristoff as a nerd, I knew he would do anything for Sen. But that was a topic for another day.

"Duly noted." Kristoff furrowed his brow in thought just as I took a sharp turn that lead me right through the door to see Elsa removing her blazer. A stupid grin lit up my face, but before I barged in to show uncalled for PDA again, my eyes quickly swept across the room. Empty. _Good._

Sneaking further into the distracted student council president's domain, I carefully stepped behind her and slowly slipped my arms around her waist in a gentle hug. Elsa's whole body stiffened up right away, causing my mind to flash through the horrific scenarios of her spinning around to ultimately break my nose, or _worse_ , so I leaned in closer and chose to risk it all.

" _Hey, baby. Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine."_ I said in the best _Elvis Presley_ imitation I could muster, feeling her shoulders instantly loosen once she recognized the feel and over all voice of the only one who she allowed to touch her.

"Anna?" She asked, already trying to turn around.

"' _Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go.'_ " I sang on the spot like a fool, ignoring the sound of Kristoff's low chortle behind us.

"You and _Mami_ are terrible at impressions." Elsa's fingers came up to pry my hands apart so she could turn around with a happy smile on her full lips. Either she didn't notice Kristoff standing back there, or she didn't particularly care as she lowered her lips to mine in a lingering kiss, making my lips curl upwards against hers.

" _Or_ we're just _that_ good that you don't even know." I chuckled, placing a playful peck to the tip of her cute nose after our kiss broke. Leaning away, she rolled her eyes with exaggeration, but didn't hesitate to let out her own soft giggle. "Okay, you're not feeling my seductive _Elvis_ voice _._ How about-" I pursed my lips in thought while my hands tightened themselves around her back. Clearing my throat, I took no time to warm my voice up and began to sing another line that popped into my head. "' _On the day you were born, the angels got together and decide to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold, and star-light in your eyes of blue.'"_ Without thinking, I lead her through a gentle sway that had her smile growing wider by the time we settled in the same positions as before. "' _That is why all the_ boys _in town follow you all around.'"_ I omitted one word as I winked at her. _"Just like me, they long to be close to you."_ I finished, spinning her around again before tugging her back to me in a firm embrace.

It took her a minute to reply, but once she did, she was giving me a slightly skeptical look. "Is that an actual song?"

"Startlingly accurate isn't it?" I smirked, catching her cheek in a quick peck.

"I wouldn't know." She joked.

"You know, I'm convinced sometimes that your amazing hair has a certain kind of magic in it." With another laugh, my hands came up to smooth her bangs back until they showed off her enchanting arctic blues. The sight stole my breath away. "You are absolutely _gorgeous_." A chaste kiss to her full lips. "Even if you don't know it yet." I added and released her bangs.

"If you say so, _Gattina._ " Elsa whispered, placing her forehead against mine tenderly. She didn't say more, but I could tell that she was all too flattered by my confession. It made her _that_ much more irresistible and I hated that I was going to pull away from her embrace so soon.

" _So._ " I confirmed before forcing out a growl when I heard Kristoff shuffling his feet. "Listen, Snow Paw," My hands trailed soothingly up and down her back. "There's _nothing_ that makes me happier than to spend my after schools, (and whatever free time I have) with you, but my darn _friends_ apparently all need me for some reason today."

"And you don't know why?" By now, she had figured out that we weren't exactly alone, but she knew Kristoff was a loyal friend of mine so that lead her to trust him a bit more than she would have Hans or even Gerda. So she didn't bother trying to reel in the way she was holding on to me. In her eyes, it was only the two of us right then and I positively loved that.

"I actually do, but that's a secret." I snickered. "And if you want to find out the real reason, you'll have to meet me in _Garage_ at the outside mall."

"When?"

"As soon as you're done here." There was a part of me that felt a little uncomfortable leaving her by herself, but as I saw the anticipation begin to simmer in her eyes, I felt a more at ease. That look alone let me know that she was going to finish up a lot quicker than intended and that made me lean in to press another kiss to her lips.

* * *

In Kristoff's Pathfinder.

"I gotta say that seeing our esteemed student council president so at ease was something to behold." Kristoff commented once we got on the main street after leaving the school.

"It is." I agreed, pulling out my phone to send a text to her, asking if she was done yet.

 _'Gattina, I just started.'_ She sent right back. ' _I'll be at the mall when you get there, don't worry. Now pay attention to Kristoff.'_ Another text came in just after, causing a smile to stretch across my lips.

 _'Yes ma'am~ ;-)'_

"So, why on earth are we going to _Chick fil-A?_ And why are you acting like _I_ know where they're all located?" I decided to ask since I had yet to get any sort of answer from him.

"Well, you _did_ know where this one was." He chuckled, turning onto the interstate so we could get there faster. "And I'll tell you after I place an order." I rolled my eyes and leaned over to mess with his radio instead. While random songs and commercials rolled by, we sat in companionable silence for a few more minutes until he glanced sideways at me. "You're different."

I cut my eyes to him. "Not _this_ again."

"N-no, that's not what I meant." Kristoff stammered. "It's definitely a _good_ change and even a blind person could see that Elsa Mariani isn't the same way she used to be either."

"We do what we can." I found myself saying with a fond smile.

"Seriously, like, she's so _happy_." He stated in astonishment, causing my smile to widen. "Before you, I swear I've never seen her smile so much, not to mention laugh so freely." Chocolate colored eyes met mine like he was seeing me for the first time. "It's the same for you." And then those eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. Just like that, I knew the profound atmosphere was over. _Way to kill the mood._ I thought deviously as his mouth opened once again. "Did something happen between you two? Don't think I, along with the rest of the school, didn't see you and her emerging from the student parking lot those few mornings last week."

My hands came up in surrender. "Hey now. I distinctly remember telling you that I was staying at the Mariani's while my dad was training."

"But did you two _do_ anything?" He prodded, unconvinced and making me face-palm as my ears reddened. _So it's like that, huh?_

"Oh, we did _lots_ of things." I ultimately decided to mess with him, but I didn't think it would practically make him jump a curb as we got off the interstate and onto the bridge that would take us right to his destination.

"Anna!" That time he glowered at me like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"Yeah." I nodded impishly. "We messed around as soon as we got- seriously, you're going to cause an accident!" I yelped, frantically covering my eyes when he cut infront of another car after he figured he needed to get into the right lane.

"You _messed around?_ " He blurted. "When her mom was there?!"

"She was involved from time to time." I snickered, making him snarl in frustration and try to wrap his arm around me. "WATCH THE ROAD!" That time he all but sped through a yellow light.

"Stop lying to me, then!"

A heavy bout of laughter erupted from me when I beheld his crimson colored cheeks. "You look like a tomato." I somehow managed to drawl, bringing my hands up to cover my face as another trembling laugh left me.

"I seriously _hate_ it when you do that!" Kristoff grumbled. Once he safely parked, he pulled me to him so he could give me a hard noogie. I cried out in pain, but he chose to ignore it for another second before wrapping me up in a strongly apologetic hug. "You're lucky I love you, Shorty." He growled, making me snort.

"Youse got a funny way of showing it, Mt. Fuji." I patted his arm and then struggled to get out of his embrace so I could rub my injured head. On the way inside, I drew back my arm and landed strong a blow right into his shoulder, forcing a yelp from him too. "And you're just as lucky knowing that I love you too."

* * *

At the mall.

Kristoff was clutching the _Chick fil-A_ bag so tight that I feared for the poor sandwich and fries in it. The next instant, I successfully pried his hands away and handed him the milkshake instead since he'd be less likely to squeeze the life out of that one. "Easy on the bag." I _tsk'd_ him. "You'll mess up all the available writing spaces." I had to say that his plan to ask Sen to the dance was one that I was _sure_ nobody in their right mind would ever turn down. Very effective in my opinion.

"So, how do _you_ plan on asking Elsa?" Kristoff asked. From his severely nervous tone, I could tell that he was looking to be distracted lest he end up chickening out and running away. I had to wonder _why_ he was still so shy around Sen, but it hardly mattered because they were just too adorable together.

"Well, I texted Kida the details earlier, so she, Milo and Olaf should be there to help me." I had taken the time to change before that too, since what I was planning to do shouldn't be done in a skirt. "And of course I'll need your and Sen's help too."

"Oh, good." Kristoff bumped into me when he turned a little too abruptly. "I was worried when you said Milo's name before mine."

" _Please._ I don't even know the guy." I chuckled, looping my free hand around his bulky arm. As the sign came into view, I made him pull over and dug around in my pocket for a pen. "Okay, what are you going to write?"

"I-I can't write it." Kristoff stuttered. I growled at him and pointedly pushed the pen into his cheek.

"Kristoff Giraldo Colossus Jensen Bjorgman llll. You _will_ write your proposal on this take out bag and drink or so help me, I'll go in there and tell sweet little Sen how we got you into that cheerleader outfit freshmen year." I grinned dangerously at him. "How you really got into the school spirit and enthusiastically shouted the cheesy 'be aggressive' cheer with the moves and all."

"Y-you wouldn't _dare_." Kristoff's face began to pale.

"Or the hilarious time we caught you twerking last year in the choir room, perhaps?"

"You're crazy evil!" He gasped, snatching the pen and bag from me so he could scribble down the message just above the logo.

"I knew keeping that video would come in handy one of these days." I chortled.

"Just you wait until I tell Elsa that the little scar on your nose wasn't caused by Ariel tripping you that one day." He shot back, making my grin falter slightly. "Oh, maybe I can tell her about the time we found you so dazed out of your mind that time you got sick and took all your meds at once. What was it you said?" It was his turn to grin darkly at me. "'I forgot how to leave.' Or something like that."

 _I know you're not tying to out embarrass me!_ "The time you took a long swig of your brother's _mixed_ soda?" I crossed my arms.

"How about the time we ate those pot brownies?" He challenged, Though, I didn't know where he was going with that one, because technically, I wasn't alone.

"And Anna tried to eat my arm, but settled for chewing on my shirt instead?" Olaf appeared from behind us and draped his arms around our necks. Gray, gleeful eyes shifted from me to Kristoff. "And _you_ ended up licking my forehead, claiming that it tasted like schnozzberries?" Both Kristoff and I ducked our heads shamefully at the memory.

I then remembered something else. "And _you_ went on and ordered everything on the menu from _Pizza Hut_ , only to find out all too late that we needed to _pay_ for it somehow." I snickered.

"And we ended up stealing on of my mom's credit cards." Olaf shook his head disdainfully.

"Oh we _all_ got in so much trouble for that." Kristoff suddenly doubled over with laughter.

"I missed all the fun I see." Kida's face appeared next to me as she placed her hands on Kristoff's and my shoulders. We all grinned at her.

"Where's Milo?" Olaf asked, pulling away to look around for him. I'd forgotten that Kida had taken Olaf to Felicity's school when they got out.

"Present." Another smooth voice joined in, causing us to let go of each other so we could turn to meet the new guy. I couldn't stop the brow from raising high along my forehead as I took in the sight of the one who made Kida swoon like a love-struck fool.

Right off the bat, I knew he was as socially awkward as they came, what with the slenderness of his frame, his glasses and button-up shirt. Not to mention the way he kept trying to coax us to chuckle along with him and just from that alone, I felt the need to grin widely at him. He looked a little older than Kida, but that was irrelevant because if there was ever a time to play the _opposites attract_ card, _this_ would be it.

"Hi. My name is Anna." I said first, stepping forward to extend my hand to him. Friendly light brown eyes met mine as he took my hand in his. It was sad to say that I was a little surprised by the firmness of his shake, but instantly wiped that thought from my mind when Kida sidled up beside him. She looked like a little girl on Christmas morning while she slipped her arm under his. _Aww!_

"Milo J. Thatch." He replied simply. "Pleasure to meet you. Kida's told me so much about the three of you."

"Well, she's mentioned _nothing_ about you." Olaf interjected with half a pout.

"Yeah, she's like a plate of mystery meat smothered in _Abuela's_ secret sauce." I snickered, making the guys bark out short laughs of their own. "But she's charmed her way to our hearts and we're stuck with her." I added, playfully swiping at said girl who actually flushed a bit and tucked her hair behind her ear. Right then and there, I decided that I like the shy Kida because she had yet to really joke around like she usually did. _On your very best behavior, huh?_

"I'm sure she'll reveal more of herself when the time is right." Milo released his own modest chuckle.

"Until then," Kristoff cleared his throat and visibly tensed. "I have food that's probably getting super cold and a girl in there that doesn't know what I'm about to do."

"Shoot, me too!" I gasped and pulled Kristoff along so he could go in first. After he stumbled through the door, I turned back to the others. "Did you get everything, Kida? Wait, what did Felicity say, Olaf?" If my head could split two different ways, I was sure I'd be doing that.

"Yes." Kida answered first. "And since you two were taking your sweet time getting here, Milo and I wrote everything out and made the arrow too."

I nodded gratefully before pulling my phone out of my pocket so I could ask Elsa where she was. "And you, O?' I asked once I sent the text.

"Oh. She said yes."

The way he answered had me focusing on the monotonicity of his voice rather than the words. "Aw, I'm- wait." Glancing back at him, his face broke into an idiotic smile. "You jerk." I chuckled and wrapped my arm around his neck. _Awesome!_ Now we all had someone to get in trouble with if the time called for it!

"So where's _your_ beau at?" Kida asked after watching us hug for a moment.

"She just got here." I answered without much thought, missing the surprise in Milo's eyes.

"How does this work then?" Olaf stepped away from me to take a look at one of the signs Kida was holding, muttering under his breath, "'Winter Formal tomorrow?'" And then he held up the colored cardboard arrow with a thoughtful frown.

"Well, since _Winter Formal,_ _Tomorrow?_ and the arrow are all on separate sheets, I guess Sen, Kida, and Milo can each hold one." I narrowed my eyes at the Cheshire grin Kida shot me. Sneaky girl. "You and Kristoff are going to be holding me up." I informed just as said guy and a happily munching Sen emerged from the store.

"I get it!" Olaf clapped his hands before looking at the other two. "That's a yes, then?"

"Who could say 'no' to _Chick fil-A_?" I chuckled knowingly. _Olaf and Felicity, Kida and Milo, Kris and Sen, Elsa and I._ My thoughts caused me to fill with warmth and a broad smile coveted my face.

"True. But I didn't need to be bribed into saying yes." Sen winked at an already flustered Kristoff, who we all began cooing at once. Before we could take it even further by mercilessly teasing him, Kristoff hurriedly grabbed my waist and lifted me right off my feet, making a strangled squeal leave my mouth.

"Shut up, she's coming!" He whispered. All at once, everyone scrambled into place with Kida handing out the signs and making sure they would be read the right way before she all but shoved Olaf into Kristoff and I.

"Hold her legs- no, not like- Anna, haven't you thought about your pose?" Kida snipped.

" _Yes_." I replied haughtily. "I just wanted to see you more stressed out about this than _I_ am." Without waiting for a retort, I twisted my body and instructed, "Olaf: right hand on my hip, the other on my calf. Kristoff: left hand on my waist and right under my arm." Pause. "And don't either of you _dare_ tickle me. I will end you." I snarled dangerously.

"What if I did _this,_ since Kris is taller than me?" Olaf dropped to a knee and held my lower body up higher with the cheesiest smile ever. I bit back a laugh and breathed out when Kristoff lifted me higher too until my body was balanced out. _Good thinking._

"She's on her phone, but smile at her like you mean it, Anna." Sen told me just as my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Don't check it!" Kida snapped, reaching over to slap my hand away. Instead of glaring at her, I fixed my pose again and rested my other hand against my temple with a smirk on my face.

"Good thing you're light. My poor back." Olaf whispered through his unfaltering grin. I wasn't sure if the tension just got to me, or the absurd fact that we all looked like complete idiots standing outside a store in the mall with smiles on our faces directed at a girl who had _yet_ to look up, but I couldn't stop the snort that left my nose. I felt Olaf's hands tremble slightly. Kristoff was next to strangle a laugh. _K-keep it together!_

" _S-ssh!_ " Sen only succeeded in letting loose an unhelpful giggle of her own as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. That time, Kristoff's frame shook and I had the terrifying thought that he was going to drop me, but that only made me bite into my lip to keep from bursting out in laughter. _Elsa. Baby, look up before we lose it!_

And she did.

Dazzling arctic blues met mine for a second before she darted those eyes around in slight confusion. Like we all saw her at the same time, our faces instantly fixed themselves and we snapped to attention. Snickers and idiotism gone for the moment as we held our breaths. Me especially because I wasn't sure how she would react to this grand gesture of mine.

As if to prove my thought, she just kept walking, having paused to read the signs and once she got within hearing rang, she asked in a quiet voice, " _Cosa stai facendo, Gattina?"_

I remembered asking her about that particular question and instead let a more laid back smile smooth over my restrictive one. "Asking you to the dance of course." I replied before jerking my chin upward to motion behind her. "Or if you don't want to, I'll ask one of _them_." Elsa's brows furrowed at me and when she turned around to look at the group of giggling girls behind her, I wriggled free of the guys' arms so I could step over to her with my hands already sliding around her waist. "But I'm kidding." I whispered into her neck when she jumped slightly. "If you say _no_ , I'm still going to bother you all night until I get my chance to dance with you."

"Hm. Lucky me." She didn't hesitate to bring her hands up to my sides.

"Oh, the girl in the middle's kinda pretty." I murmured teasingly.

Elsa took a small step back and her hands came up to cup my face pointedly. "No." Her lips touched mine.

"'No' to _who?_ " I refrained from kissing her back, but let my lips brush hers. "Me? Or that girl?"

" _Voglio che tu sia solo mia."_ Her sweet breath tickled my cheeks.

I groaned in mock frustration. "You _know_ I'm a sucker for your _Italian parts_. Especially if the parts are telling me intimate things." I nipped at her nose.

 _"Non ho occhi che per te."_ She continued, letting her hands slide up around my neck and she pressed a more meaningful kiss to my lips. _"Non voglio perderti."_ Our kissed deepened.

That's when I felt it.

The sliver of jealousy that passed through our mouths as she gently bit down on my lower lip when I let out a short gasp at the realization. _Freyja!_ My tongue sought to meet each caress of hers almost frantically, tasting her, taking her in because I wasn't sure how long this possessive feeling would last. I couldn't help it. Her hands took purchase in my hair, breathing suddenly hard and fast, falling hotly into my mouth and I was so caught up that it took me a minute to hear the wild wolf whistles and cat calling coming from behind us.

"Take her top off!" Olaf called out in a falsetto voice, followed by numerous ' _thumps_ ' and shushes from the others. "O-ow!"

Elsa and I, with embarrassingly red faces, pulled away from one another to face the onslaught of more cheers and whoops from more than just the five standing not three feet away from us. There were other passersby that were gesturing in congrats to us and I feared that if we didn't do something soon, the whole mall would end up in a tizzy.

"Johnny Rockets. Meet us there in ten minutes." I informed Kristoff before taking Elsa's hand and leading her back to the stairs, ignoring the residual claps from random people on the way down. Once we got to the other side of the meeting place, I slowed to pull her into a store. "I-I'm sorry." I blurted. "I never intended to embarrass you like that, Snow Paw."

"It's okay, _Gattina_." Elsa let out a soft giggle and then pushed a hand through her hair. Seeing that she was actually okay with it, I sidled next to her and whispered into her ear.

"At least they know they have no chances with me, or you, now."

"Anna." She glared at me, making my hands come up defensively.

"It's true!" I yelped. "Like I'd really try taking anyone else but you."

"Good." Elsa's voice made me look curiously at her to see that tiny hint of possessiveness still hidden in those eyes. It caused a delightful chill to creep up my spine.

"Speaking of-" My voice suddenly turned hoarse so I tried to clear it. "Care to tell me what you were saying back there?"

"What if I said 'no?'" She smiled crookedly at me. I thought about it and then gestured to the dressing rooms.

"I'm sure one of _those_ would provide us enough privacy for me to bite you."

"Again?"

"Again." I grinned. "This time I'll make sure it stays."

"I tremble with fear."

When I stepped forward, her eyes widened before her hands came up to put a stop to my advance. Instead of pressing for answers, I simply stood there smiling expectantly at her. Elsa glanced around and then smoothed her fingers through my fringe. " _Voglio che tu sia solo mia."_ She began, noting the way I breathed out at the sound of her speaking her native tongue. "I want you to be only mine." That time I let her finish without trying to interrupt. _"Non ho occhi che per te._ I only have eyes for you." I nearly chewed through my lip. _"Non voglio perderti."_ She whispered, making me hold my breath. "I don't want to lose you." Pause. "Especially to some random person in the mall."

"You won't." I said quickly, pressing an apologetic kiss to her lips. "Not if _I_ have any say in it."

"I like the sound of that." Elsa nuzzled into me as I slid my hand into hers so we could get over to Johnny Rockets.

"And may I just say that you are _so, very_ romantic?" I teased, squeezing her hand and making my voice annoyingly weary and high. "I swear I could have passed out if you weren't holding me up in these _strong_ arms of yours."

" _Sta zitta."_

"That wasn't nice."

* * *

 _A/N: I was going to do the dance right away, but I thought it would be nice to add the proposals too. I also missed the guys & Kida. Of course I didn't expect it to be __so very long!_ _And I just got a tip from my sister that dialog kinda confuses her sometimes, so I tried to shorten this one as much as I could. (Yes. It was longer.) Anyway._

 _Hope ya liked it._

 _Tootles~_


	31. Jello Bites and Girly Dresses

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

At the school. 1:02pm.

A flash of blonde caused my eyes to follow longingly after the taller figure until she disappeared through the doors that lead outside, yet I stood vigilant by the DJ table. The _empty_ DJ table. An anxious sigh left my nose and I couldn't help but rake my fingers through my hair in budding frustration. _C'mon Stu, don't do this. Not now._ Glancing back at the unpromising doors, I had to wonder what was running through Elsa's mind right about now. _Do you hate me?_ Technically hiring Stuart was _my_ idea, so it was alright for her to be mad at me because the fool wasn't even here!

Said girl reappeared with Gerda and they were carrying last-minute napkins and toilet paper for the bathrooms. The thought of how lazy and inattentive her members were was driving me insane, considering that _everything_ should have already been done the night before and when we got the chance to scope the gym again, it was exactly as Elsa had left it. Only half done. That simply meant that without _her_ presence and subtle authority, those incompetent goons were pretty much useless. _Maybe because the main members are all Seniors and- oops- turns out they have lives!_ I rolled my eyes. Of course I understood Elsa's involvement in taking some time off because she was with me, but I didn't know why those other imbeciles couldn't step up when she wasn't there.

Especially Hans the VP. Why is he even VP in the first place? _If I were an actual member-_

"Hey."

A soft voice said next to my ear, ripping me from my thoughts and causing me to snap my head to my left. Elsa's shimmering cerulean irises filled my vision. My building anxiety stilled for the moment as I gave her an apologetic gaze.

"Hi." I started, bringing my hand up to place it on her forearm. "Listen, I-I didn't mean- I didn't think-"

"Anna." Elsa let a small lopsided smile capture her lips as her hand covered mine and she turned to face me better. "It's-"

"Anna Leslie Crescent!" A deep voice sounded throughout the gym and made both of us break eye contact to look at the double doors. What I saw there forced an annoyed growl from my throat, but before I could stomp over there to pummel him, I turned back to the gorgeous blonde.

"I'll help him." I ground out through an unconvincing grin.

"Sounds like you two know each other." Elsa nodded her acknowledgement at him before bringing her attention back at me. I missed the light flicker of something in her eyes when he let out a low wolf-whistle after asking for my aid since I turned around fix him with a glare.

"I met him along with his two brothers at summer camp a few years ago while the guys and I were there." I began, ignoring the loud clunking of said guy's boots in the background. "We all used to hang out with his life-long father figure named Gru from time to time until the crazy man stole some of my dad's equipment for reasons yet to be revealed." A roll of my eyes. "Anyway, _their_ friendship is on standby, but Stuart and his brothers still keep in touch with us. We even spent a week this past summer together at his cabin in the mountains." I gave her the rundown before squeezing her hand in comfort. (The only reason why I didn't have a way to contact him the other day was because his phone wasn't working and it turns out he'd gotten a new one but kept it to himself.) _Jerk._ "Now if you'll excuse me, my lady, I need to excessively pull that idiot around by his ears for fun- I mean, for being late." Just then Stuart voiced his appreciation for all the decorations to a passing Hans.

"Okay." Elsa replied somewhat tensely and again, I completely missed the way her hand lingered midair when I began my march toward Stuart. _Him and his stupid plaid shirts._

" _Hey,_ mama." He flipped his hair out of the way before holding out a black zipped up bag to me. "Be a doe and hold this for me so I can have my signature bronytail."

His usual boy charm didn't have it's effects in the slightest. Nor did his silly nickname for me and it let me easily glare at him. "I can _not_ believe I thought you were going to show up on time." I hissed, actually taking his bag for him while he tied his dark hair back out of his eyes.

"You can't make the scene if you don't have the green." Stuart's grin was wide and easy, but it made me roll my eyes.

"Dude. You're spinning for _free._ " I pointed out around a scoff. "Where's the green in that?" I knew for a fact that it wasn't his shirt because said shirt and unbuttoned flannel were more grey colors. He also wore black jeans with his usual combat boots, but he was still the ultimate nerd to me. Especially because of his thick _Sarah Palin_ glasses.

"The green is my _Naked_ _Juice_ of course!" He expertly flipped a full 32oz bottle out of another bag and shook it in my face. " _You_ of all people know that Twin Pines and the surrounding areas don't have these babies."

I slapped the tempting bottle away from my face. "Stu, they sell them at that store right in Pie Town." My voice came out in a growl and I wasted no time in snatching the drink from his still taunting hand and pushing his bag back into his own arms. "I know you're lying, so _this_ is mine." I winked at him and began to open it.

"I drank some." He shot back. Too bad the still sealed lid said otherwise.

"So?" I drawled, spinning the top off and taking a long, satisfying sip of the nicely chilled drink. "Yum."

"Not fair." Defiant brown eyes instantly changed into begging puppy status, yet I was unfazed and took a longer drink to spite him. It'd been forever since I'd had one and I was suddenly happy that I was here to get one for free. I was sure he had another one somewhere because he was famous for toting a small _Yeti_ cooler around.

Licking my lips, I gave him a skeptical look. "Fair?" I chuckled. "Fairs are for cotton candy and rides that make you puke."

A smirk instantly broke out across his face. "I see _you_ haven't changed, cocky little wildfire." Stuart laughed, but instantly reached out to take his drink back. I grunted when he did and swiped at him as he danced out of the way.

"My germs!" I snarled, making my way around the other cases and things he'd brought with him. How he'd managed to get away from me _without_ stumbling over anything was beyond me.

"I'm all about the second-hand kisses, mama." Stuart teased, pretending to bring the bottle to his lips. "But if you promise me a date sometime, I can give you the rest."

My brow rose curiously along my forehead. "Wanna go to jail?" I asked as my arms crossed in defiance. "Or should I construct a heist to steal that beloved ukulele of yours? You know I'd do it too." A playfully dangerous smirk crossed my lips as I leaned on one of his bigger cases. The lip of the bottle never touched his.

"Can I request a dance later then?" He suddenly asked in a small voice, which made me bite back a laugh. I swear I saw a bead of sweat roll down the side of his temple when I brought his uke into the picture. (It got him a few numbers now and again, so it was understandable that it meant a lot to him.)

"Is there a problem here?" Elsa's sweet accented voice joined us, causing me to shoot her a nonchalant smile.

"Yes." Stuart threw his hands up gratefully at her appearance. "This little girl is _such_ a bully!" His eyes bugged out while pointing an accusing finger at me. I stuck my tongue out, but before Elsa could react, he gingerly handed me the drink and the same bag we'd been passing back and forth. "Kidding. Here, mama, can you take this to the tables?" He sent me that same grin before regarding Elsa. "And no real worries ma'am, we'll be up and running in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

"Who still says that?!" I called after him when he vanished through the doors again. His response was a loud chortle that echoed through the parking lot that time. _Dork._ Rolling my neck, I again smiled at Elsa and motioned for her to come with me.

"How old is he?" She asked once we got to the table.

"Nineteen. But he turns twenty next Monday." I shrugged a shoulder, taking another drink before offering her some. Blue eyes narrowed almost suspiciously as she took the bottle and all but jammed it to her lips. Only to snap her head away after two good swigs and covering her mouth in the process. From her fierce look of discomfort and utter disgust, I could tell that she did _not_ like _The Green Machine_ whatsoever, but I refused to downright laugh at her when she briskly handed me the bottle back. Luckily, the small amount that didn't stay in her mouth dribbled harmlessly down her chin. The rest she had successfully swallowed without choking, though she continued to voice her distaste without words for the moment while her other hand reached out to grip my forearm. It was still a priceless sight.

" _Che schifo!_ How can you drink that, _Gattina_?" Elsa hissed at me, finally causing a strangled fit of laughter to fall out of my mouth. I couldn't help it. And when she only glared right at me, I cleared my throat and brought my thumb up to wipe her chin clean with a stupid grin on my face. Oh yeah. That reaction was something to remember for all times.

"What are you talking about? It's delicious!" I defended the helpless mixture of goodness with a semi-shocked look on my face. "And healthy. Besides, who doesn't want to drink something with the word _Naked_ in it?" I had meant that as a joke, but I didn't anticipate it to bring a subtle flush to her beautiful face.

" _Me_." She snarked, easily covering up that blush with a set jaw.

"Sure, everyone's a critic." I chuckled in good humor and even patted her shoulder. "That's okay, Snow Paw, the texture and colors usually put people off." As if to spite her, I took another long, savory drink before licking my lips with an appreciative moan. "I'll give Stuart what I can't finish, seeing as this is a pretty big bottle for one to handle alone." I began closing the bottle, missing the dart of her eyes behind us. "But, I actually doubt I'll need his help-" Suddenly the bottle was gone from my hands and was pressed again to Elsa's lips as Stuart came back with more of his equipment. My jaw fell slack at the sight of Elsa practically chugging down a drink she _clearly_ disliked. _Wha-?_ There were even barely visible tears at the corners of her pretty eyes! _Why?!_

"Aw, not cool, mama." Stuart teasingly set down his first bag with purpose. "So, you're too cool to share a second-hand kiss with _me_ and yet have no problem all but makin' out with this other beautiful woman?" His eyes narrowed at me. "I see how it is."

Looking in bewilderment from Elsa to him, I could only shrug my immediate response since my brain had yet to spark to life again. Which happened the next time my eyes landed on brown orbs. "Jealous?" I smirked at him once Elsa pushed the bottle back into my hands. The poor thing was breathing a bit hard and when she glanced at me, her eyes were determined.

"Can you finish it now?" She asked just above a whisper. I tried not to frown in confusion at her somewhat odd behavior and instead held the bottle up to examine what was left.

"Uh, yeah?" I partly chuckled. "I think I can finish off the last of it," Pause. "If I take tiny sips at a time." A snicker managed to escape my mouth. She'd drank half of it!

Elsa took a deep breath, straightening up her spine and giving me a barely concealed smile. "Sorry. It was just _so_ good." The way she had basically caressed each of those words _and_ my arm almost wiped all the laughter from me. _What?_ That time I actually frowned at her, but before I could ask what she was doing, Gerda came and swept her away.

"I take it she's not a fan of _Naked_ juice, huh?" Stuart chortled once they left. After I spent the next few moments trying to decipher what the love of my life was up to, I ended up leaving it for the moment.

"No, but I don't know why she forced herself to drink half of it." Was my reply as I reached up to scratch my head.

"Maybe she didn't want you sharing with me." Stuart waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe _she's_ the one that's jealous." He pressed exaggeratedly.

"Whatever." I scoffed, finally placing the bottle on the table away from his equipment so I could start helping. "She doesn't do things like that." _Lies, Anna._ It might have been obvious, but I was too busy glazing my eyes over everything on the table to really think about it. _So many wires._

"And just _how_ would you know what the pretty lady does or doesn't do when we're talking jealousy?" Stuart asked, sidling up next to me. "Got a little crush now, do we?"

" _Yeah_? Of course I do." I rolled my eyes and nudged his shoulder pointedly with mine. And then a thought occurred to me when he brought a hand up to cover his girlish ' _oooh!'_ "Wait, are you- didn't I tell you?" Did he really not know that Elsa and I were dating?

"What, that you're one of the hottest Sapphic goddesses I've ever seen?" He joked.

I growled and twisted his ear harshly, forcing a painful yelp from his lightly scruffy mouth. " _Down, boy_." I hissed. "Elsa knows your age and if she sees you making passes at a minor-"

"Y-you got- _ow!_ You got it, mama." He whimpered.

"You think I'm hot?" I asked once I let his ear go.

" _Duh._ " While rubbing his sore ear, Stuart passed me a knowing smirk. "Anyone with eyes can see that, but I'm a close friend so I can say stuff like this with _out_ getting stabbed in the eye." There was a pause in which he let out an awkward chuckle. "To you of course. Otherwise I'd get in trouble. But hey, you're _almost_ eighteen." Again he leaned in, only to get pushed away from me as Elsa passed. From the rigid, almost angry way she was walking, I had to wonder how many times she'd gone by us. Too bad Stuart's enthusiasm deterred my gaze.

"You're awfully cute, but I'm not interested." I replied all too sweetly.

"Aw, what can I do to pry you from the female persuasion? But keep in mind that I won't consider turning into one." He snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "I like being a guy."

"You're an idiot." I chuckled, taking the cords that needed to be plugged in. "My answer would be to-" I dropped them to pull at the hair tie until it loosened completely and watched black hair flop back around to frame his face. "Cut this _ridiculous_ hair!"

"But, I like my hair." Stuart flipped it mainly to annoy me and I forced myself not to pull on it to annoy him too. Instead I continued to go plug in the cords. When I got back to him, he was setting up his vinyls and had yet to fix his hair again and resorted to pushing one side behind his ear. "Okay, so what kind of haircut would you suggest?" He caved, making me grin.

"Well-" Again, I reached up to run my hand along his temple and sweet Odin were his locks soft! Sadly, it put my own hair to shame, but I wouldn't dare tell him that. "Off the top of my head, I would definitely have to say the _Jay Hutton_ style. Just let your scruff go too."

"You mean that guy from _Tattoo Fixers_?" Stuart raised a curious brow at me. "He _is_ pretty hot."

"Right?" I laughed along with him before taking some vinyls from his collection to look through them myself. "I've always liked your taste in music, Stu." I commented with fascination coating my voice. It was because of him that _my_ range of music vastly expanded from _Cab Calloway,_ to _Frank Sinatra,_ and all the way over to _Paramore._

"You've learned well." He patted my head and handed me some more so I could mix them up for him.

" _NONONO?"_ I came across an unfamiliar name which made him brighten up substantially.

"Ooo, I will play a song from them for sound check." He grinned at me. "You will _not_ be disappointed, mama." A playful poke to my nose. "Believe that." Hearing the confidence in his voice easily made me return his grin with equal enthusiasm.

But, before I could voice my next thought, Elsa reappeared behind me. " _Anna._ " She nearly breathed right into my ear, causing me to shiver on instinct from the light aggression it held. I snapped to attention, practically dropping all that was in my hands.

"Y-yeah?" I choked out as my eyes suddenly got sucked into cerulean pools.

"Could you double-check all the stalls in the bathrooms to see if any still need tissue?" It was a simple question but, was it me, or was her accent just a bit thicker than usual?

I gulped heatedly. "Sure." Sending her a quick smile, I tried not to stumble away so I could do just that. As I neared the girls' room, I couldn't help but wonder what was up with Elsa Mariani's attitude. I mean, I wasn't at all exasperated with her, just very curious. Her gestures weren't huge enough to send a person running, but they were good enough to tip Stuart off and make him call her out on her jealousy. _Is that it?_ Was Elsa jealous? I swear I couldn't exactly pinpoint it this time, mainly because I was distracted enough with the last-minute rushing around from the both of us and meeting up with Stuart again to really stop and think about it all. Not to mention his easy-going manner and all his talk about music...yeah it was a little hard to keep track of emotions. (Not like I didn't _care,_ I was simply caught up in the moment.)

Though, it didn't matter once I got into the restroom. Tissue. Again, another thing to distract me since I didn't want to throw Elsa's groove of bossing everybody around off. Honestly, that authoritative voice of hers made me warm all over. _This one's good._ I tried to clear my mind to no avail as an image of those chilly arctic blues flitted to the forefront of my mind. The shades they were able to turn, how deep they actually were... _What's wrong with me? I can't be thinking like this now._ A snicker left my mouth as I continued to the next stall.

"What's so funny?"

Her sudden presence all but caused me to jump ten feet into the air. " _Whoa!_ Some warning next time would be nice." I breathed out harshly and clutched my hand into my chest to try to steady my thudding heart as I shakily walked over to the sinks. _Odin, I'm so distracted!_ Seriously, I didn't even know how long she'd been there with me!

"Sorry." Elsa was leaning against the door with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I-it's okay." I assured her before gesturing to the stalls behind me. "And they're all good in here. I just need to check-" All too late did I remember seeing that it was Elsa _herself_ that had been carrying the tissue earlier and before I knew it, the student council president was standing right infront of me.

Eyes blazing.

My breath caught in my throat at the same time her lips seized mine. _W-what?_ I had no time to think. No time to ask. No time to _anything_ seeing as she pretty much had me where she wanted me and I was powerless to stop her. In fact, I didn't even bother to entertain the stupid notion of stopping her as my hands came up to those hips.

An excited breath was exchanged from the both of us when the adventurous side of me didn't hesitate to feel up along Elsa's stomach. Her shirt had been tucked into her skirt, but that didn't stop me from _feeling_ the lines that defined the sheer tone of that stomach, the slope of her naval. Her ribs. Around to her back, I cherished the column of her spine. Elsa was as muscular as I, yet the ultimate shape of her body displayed her finesse. _Freyja!_

That time she surprised me by grasping at my own hips so she could push me backwards. However, we missed one of the sinks and stumbled past it until my shoulders hit the wall. I didn't care that the force had winded me some, because all at once, Elsa Mariani was pushing up against me. My mind seemed to blank completely as those full lips broke away from mine to drop to my neck and her hands stealthily slid down to catch my wrists so she could bring them upwards. As she held them against the wall above my head, I couldn't help the whimper that left my mouth. I'd never experienced anything like this. And I loved it.

I loved the one doing it.

Elsa's mouth was _so_ hot and wet against my neck and I wasn't sure if the noise emitted from me earlier had been some sort of catalyst, but it caused the lips on my flesh to suddenly clamp down with hard suction. The pressure alone made my eyes roll into my skull and I couldn't stop the loud sigh that accompanied my next shallow breath. I didn't want her to stop. _Sweet Odin's mother_ I didn't care that it left me weak all over, I couldn't bring myself to complain.

Just then, Elsa's hands released mine so she could place hers back on my hips. I felt her tongue lave at my neck as her lips opened and once her teeth grazed the same spot, her hands slid up my own stomach. A strangled groan leapt from my throat and my hips suddenly pushed into hers. The action felt foreign, but oh _so_ delicious and I didn't stop the next roll of my body because I felt I needed it. I needed her touch. Her lips. _Her_. The thought caused a raw heat to course throughout my body which resulted in a certain pressure between my legs that had me dizzy from head to toe.

An eager tongue pressed into my neck and that, coupled with her hands _finally_ feeling me up after so long, caused yet another needy sound to escape me. Elsa reacted to it with as much fervor and I managed to let my hands slip down her back, past her waist and hips to the plump flesh beneath them. The adventurous side of me decided to grab it just as her teeth sunk into my neck and smack me running, a sexy little noise left her own mouth that made me bite back another whimper. It was such an incredible experience to get as far as I did and I felt instantly rewarded by Elsa's fine nails when they raked down my stomach with a low groan from her.

" _Elsa._ " I breathed the name on a ragged exhale.

 _"Mi hai fatto perdere la testa, Gattina._ " Her voice was just as husky and I was a bit disappointed that her lips were now exploring my neck and no longer sucking, though it did nothing but cause chills up and down my spine from the erotic sounds of her mouth on my skin. One: her voice alone was enough to melt me on the spot. Two: her hands had yet to stop roaming. _"Hai tutto ciò che desidero,_ and I'll be damned if I let that DJ flirt with you infront of me."

My eyes popped open. "Wh-what, Stuart? He's always-"

"No." Elsa suddenly pulled back to give me a stern look. _"Quando chiudo gli occhi vedo solo te._ I don't want him there too."

"You have me, Elsa Mariani." I licked my lips and my hands left her rear to tenderly cup both sides of her tempting neck as my eyes latched onto hers. "I am _yours_." I made sure my words got through. "In no way is there _ever_ going to be anyone there to steal me away from you, understand?" My thumbs rubbed gentle circles into her soft cheeks. "Sono tutto tua." I whispered, making her eyes widen and begin to brim with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, _Gattina._ " She tried to look away, but I wouldn't have it. "I don't mean to be so possessive-" My lips cut her off and I didn't pull away until she did first.

"You're adorable and insanely sexy at the same time." I shook my head with a chuckle, utterly enjoying the flush that captured her face because of my compliment. "And _I'm_ sorry for not noticing how uncomfortable you were with Stuart." I pressed a kiss to the bridge of her nose. "You don't have to worry about him, my lovely. But I _can_ say that it wasn't entirely all his fault for shamelessly flirting with me because he doesn't know we're together."

"That explains it." Elsa sighed, letting a small smile turn up her lips.

"And I know it's a little difficult to deal with some people in my life because they're so at ease with me." My hands came up to smooth her bangs out of her eyes. "Guess I got that from my mom. I swear she made a new friend everyday."

" _That's_ what _Mami_ was talking about, _Gattina._ " She leaned forward until our foreheads touched. " _Hai trovato pane per i tuoi denti._ " Elsa clarified. "It means: you found bread for your teeth." When I furrowed my brow, she giggled. "You have a strong personality and it easily challenges mine."

"So, you're kinda saying I complete you, huh?" I smirked cockily, making her return it.

"It means that you are a worthy adversary for control."

"I quite like being your jester, though." A kiss to her cheek. "Take no offense Your Majesty, but I rather fancy being a knight in shining armor than deal with countless paperwork and ordering lowly peasants around." That actually got a loud laugh from her.

"I thought you wanted to be a jester." She had this raw smile that easily made my knees weak.

"I can be both, Snow Paw." My eyes held on to hers, as did my hands once I moved down to claim them. "I can make you laugh, follow your commands _and_ protect you when the time calls for it."

" _Mi hai conquistata._ " Her lips met mine and slowly deepened into a more sensual kiss that got interrupted by the door opening behind us.

* * *

Home. 6:55pm.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Sky blue eyes filled my vision as I turned away from my mirror. She was only partially dressed in a purple bra with her pants still on, though unbuttoned, and the fact that she was practically standing over me meant that my eyes weren't straying anywhere they weren't supposed to be. _Stupid Kida._

It could have been my fault, but since _she_ decided that the girls should get ready at _my_ place (regardless that _her_ house was closest to the school) we all crammed into my room while my dad stayed downstairs. I knew they were trouble when they first showed up and now they were scanning through my movies, comics and just plain lounging around when we all could have been ready by now. The dance started at _eight_ , but I figured we were going to be fashionably late and I just hoped Elsa would be okay until I got there, considering that it was _her_ that insisted I meet up with her there instead of picking her up.

 _Aw, well._ "What?" I asked, placing my straightener on the dresser. When Kida didn't say anything else but ended up giving me a questionable look, I rolled my eyes and let the right side of my hair down from the clip. " _Yes,_ I have a straightener." Giving her a 'duh' gesture. "I _can_ be a girl you know."

There was an eerie pause that made me glance between them skeptically before the quiet was broken by a sweetly paced trumpet and two saxophones that played from my stereo. My attention turned away from them to grin in the general direction of the song. The words formed on my tongue but another, softer voice spoke up and cut them off from me. On the other hand, Kida's faced scrunched up as she looked over at my stereo like it was a personal offense to her.

"Yeah, Anna. You're a girl alright. A girl who's wearing _converse_ to the Formal?" Sen stated on a snicker as she held up my newest pair of high top all black converse. On the other hand, that woman was already a sight, though she also had yet to put her dress on. I didn't know what they were waiting for.

"Oh. So, _you're_ in on this too?" I threw my hands up dismissively and walked towards my closet. "And _no_ , Sven DeKnight, I have a different pair for the dance." I popped my head back out to toss my original colored low tops at her feet. "I bet y'all are going to keel over when I tell you I'm wearing a dress too, right?"

"No. Of course not." Sen and Kida drawled at the same time. I scoffed at them. _Really, they don't give me enough credit._

"Shoes aside, where did you even find the time to get a dress?" Kida asked, having followed right after me. Still shirtless. _Great._ Who knew what she would try to do to me now that we were alone. _Eh, I trust her not to be an idiot._ "Really, when you're not with Elsa, you're with us, and when you're not with any of us you're working." She leaned against the door frame.

"True." I nodded, rifling through the different clothes until my dress popped out to me. "But maybe, just _maybe_ , I got the slip from Danny to shop a few days ago before I even buying the tickets?"

"Danny must be an awesome boss then." Sen poked her head in, only to retreat back out when the doorbell rang, all the while complaining that _her_ boss didn't even allow more than two bathroom breaks. _Yikes._

"He is!" I called after her, regardless. _Now_ I was thankful that I was fortunate enough to land someone as awesome as Danny for a boss and took a mental note to send him a box of chocolate whenever I got the chance. The guy was a chocoholic.

While I smoothed my hands over my dress, Kida came to stand next to me. "So how is it?" She asked when Sen disappeared.

"How's what?" Flipping my hair out of my way, I brushed by her to get over to my dresser. Seriously, I couldn't talk to her if she was shamelessly walking around in only a bra. _Who does that?_

"Being with Elsa." She followed me, but that time she took her hair down so she could start curling her thick locks. _Oh. That makes sense, I guess._ Unlike me, who kept my modesty, I figured she'd just rather fix her hair and face before throwing her dress on. Or anything on for that matter.

"It's great?" I mused, making her throw a hairspray cap at me that I almost didn't dodge. "What? Vague questions deserve vague answers." I chuckled.

"Fine. What's up with the bandage on your neck?" She smirked mischievously. My face paled. Of course I knew I would be interrogated as soon as one of them noticed, but I was sort of hoping that keeping my hair down would have hid it somehow. _Nope._

Elsa had apologized more than a few times for marking me (quite darkly at that) and I had to spend some time convincing her that I did _not_ mind whatsoever. I liked it. Once I told her that no one would try to bother me now that she'd claimed me, she calmed down and was able to walk out of that bathroom with some semblance of dignity. With me right beside her and once Stuart saw it up close, he gave me an obnoxiously dirty grin before stepping off completely. _Idiot._

"Hey, I've been fighting with my hair all afternoon so burns are to be expected." I came back to my senses and tried to play it off, but knew it was a futile attempt, seeing as she was already nodding in sheer disbelief.

"And pigs fly." Blue eyes narrowed, making me give an innocent shrug. The curling iron steamed and she brought it out of her hair, producing a perfect curl. "You should have seen Milo's face when you and Elsa consummated your invitation to the Formal." She snickered, doing a 180 on topics. For me, at least, since I was too busy trying to figure out how to do my makeup without having to sit right next to her.

Unfortunately, I hadn't anticipated her to go in that direction and ended up almost poking my eye with eyeliner. Instead, I dropped the compact and picked up what she threw at me earlier. "Do you have to use _that_ word, Kidagakash?!" I didn't hesitate to throw the cap at the back of her head, causing a bark of laughter to erupt from her.

"I'm sorry, but what _else_ would you call it? You two were basically ready to be like _Marvin Gaye_ and just about got it on!" Her laughter grew along with the heat in my cheeks.

"I like that song." I chuckled despite myself. "It didn't put him off did it? Not like it's going to keep me away from her tonight."

"He was just surprised is all." Her laughter died down and she dismissed my thought with a wave of her hand. "There isn't a hateful bone in his body, so no worries."

 _Huh._ "Well, I'll put an answer to your question like this:" I sat next to her with a wide grin on my lips. "How I feel when I'm with Elsa is _exactly_ the same way _you_ feel when you're with Milo."

There was a profound pause as she nodded in total understanding. "Milo doesn't bite me though." She snorted, shattering the atmosphere once again.

"She didn't bite me!" I pushed at her shoulder with my face as red as my hair. Because she _did,_ but there was no way I was going to admit it. Not to them.

"Who's biting?" Sen came back through the door with Felicity right behind her.

"Elsa." Kida stated, earning a hard smack upside her head from yours truly. Honey-colored eyes moved from her to me in amusement.

"She bit you?" Even Felicity was now staring curiously.

"Not- it-it wasn't-" I cleared my throat awkwardly because _how_ do you explain something like that to someone younger than you? (Only by a year, but hey, it's still difficult!)

"It's this insane thing called a _love bite_ , young one. You'll learn about the unfortunate disease later-"

"Kida!" I groaned, clapping both my hands over my eyes in embarrassment.

"You're scarring both of them." Sen giggled, reaching over to lift my hair away from my neck so she could examine the bandage covering Elsa's mark herself. "I didn't think she had it in her."

"I'm outta here!" I slapped her hand away and bolted to the bathroom before they began their onslaught of endless teasing.

* * *

 _A/N: To be continued._

 _So. I got a few requests for more jealous Elsa and...turning up the heat, so to say? *ahem* so I thought 'why not?' Hope I pulled through on that end. To some degree at least. (Pun intended.)_

 _Anyway, I originally wanted the chapter to get into the dance...but it obviously couldn't happen, so I split it instead. Do forgive me though, for I didn't attend such festivities when I was in school, but I'll do my best to get the dance in there somewhere._

 _Hope you liked it because it felt nice for me to write something again after a few days of not being able to. ^^ Y'all are awesome_

 _Tootles~_


	32. Vuoi ballare con me?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

After an hour and thirty minutes of the other three girls messing around (with me, each other, or they're dresses) we all gathered down in the living room to wait for our ride. I honestly had no idea how we were getting to the school because the guys said they would take care of it and I only hoped that they dressed up considering their dates looked amazing. Also, that they wouldn't be picking us up in a van or something. _Heh. Give them some credit._ I told myself while I lagged behind. Of course I wasn't joining the girls down there just yet since I was too busy using the cover up that Sen lent me for my neck. Apparently we almost had the same complexion, so she had no problem letting me use it. That was sweet of her, but I wasn't used to having so much makeup on my face.

And now I had it on my neck too.

 _Suck it up, Crescent. You know you like it._ I tried to glare at myself in the mirror before sticking my tongue out childishly, snorting at my idiocy just after and then letting out a resigned sigh. It was the first time _any_ of us had even wanted to participate in something like this and it was also the first time since my cousin's wedding that I decided to wear any sort of makeup. I mean, sure, I'd played around with the stuff in the dead of night so I technically knew what shades matched me or not, but I never wore it other than that.

Teal eyes narrowed at me. _You don't look that bad. Remember you're not going to be the only awkward girl out there!_ A chuckle left my mouth as I straightened back up to double check my neck and then my hair to make sure the braids were still as they should have been. Kida had been _such_ a dear that she fixed my hair so that the majority of my neck was covered and I had to hand it to her because it actually looked really nice. _Waterfall, was it?_ Sen had taken care of her own hair while Kida made sure to get to Felicity's as well, arguing that she just couldn't leave it down with _out_ at least curling it or something and after no further argument, Felicity gave in.

Pulling myself away from the mirror, I squared my shoulders and looked down at my dress. Black and form fitting with a bow on the side of my waist that ended just above my knees. Shoes? Dark blue high top converse. Heels were out of the question. Accessories? Blue and black wrist bands for my right wrist, shiny painted nails, an electric guitar necklace, and no earrings since I didn't have my ears pierced. Thinking about it, I was pretty basic compared to the other three, but I didn't particularly care. Mainly because I wanted to dance (since that's what the whole point was, right?) and having a long dress with a nice hairdo just might not have felt like _me._ That was the last thing I wanted, so I shrugged it off and made my way downstairs _. Maybe for prom, though._

Once I got to the bottom of the steps, a sudden flash caught me off guard and I stumbled over nothing really, catching myself before I did a horrible face plant. "Who in the-" My voice started to growl as I looked around for the smart on that almost cost my nose.

"You look beautiful, Panda." _Oh._ My dad was standing just in the doorway of the kitchen with a wide grin on his mouth and phone in hand. From that flash I either thought it might as well have been an actual camera, or that I was too lost in thought to be taken off guard by it. _Sheesh!_

But it was my _dad_ , so I couldn't be upset over it. "Well," I cleared my throat bashfully. "T-try to wait until I'm grounded before taking a picture." Gesturing to the stairs, "I might be an okay dancer, but even _I'm_ not immune to a twisted ankle." A grin split my face regardless.

"Eh, I like this way better." He chuckled lightly and then took the two strides to wrap me in a loving hug. "Make sure you get some with Elsa too. Bet she looks just as pretty." Stepping back, he lifted his phone to take a few more pictures while I posed ridiculously, making him laugh while I was at it.

When he had his fair share, he bowed formally to me and I shared a laugh with him before lifting myself up to plant a kiss to his scruffy cheek. "Sure, dad. I'm sure Letti's telling her the exact same thing and if not, _she'll_ end up at the school to take some by herself." It wasn't that hard to see the mischievous woman scouring the crowds until she tracked us down and considering how gorgeous she was, no one would feel the need to question her. Especially if they found out that she was the student council president's mother. The thought made me inwardly chortle.

"I'm telling you, Panda, I don't know about this relationship." My dad shook his head mock dramatically and stepped back to glide his fingers along my brow with a crooked grin. I rolled my eyes and looked down to check my nails.

"Elsa and I aside, I'm sure you two would get along famously." I joked, nudging him in the ribs playfully. He stiffened. "Don't think I didn't see the way you got all nervous around her last time."

"I wasn't nervous." My dad scoffed, turning away from me to retreat to the kitchen. I followed right after him to snag a bottle of water from the fridge and a twinkie from my stash in the cupboard.

"And just _what_ was the first thing you said to Ms. Mariani?" I drawled, noting the way my dad pointedly held up _yesterday's_ newspaper in front of his face. "I believe it went something like: ' _Uhh.'_ " I snickered from over my water.

"Anna." He growled, but I was on a roll seeing as the tips of his ears looked just the slightest bit pinker than usual.

"Next, you blurt out your _full_ name (thanks to me) and _then_ address Elsa and I like you couldn't think of anything else-"

"One more word and I'm going to mess up your hair, young lady." Jade eyes glared dangerously at me, making me ease off with another chuckle while I opened my sugar infused snack of goodness and tossed the wrapper in the trash. All the calmness in the world.

When he let out a low huff, I put a hand to my chest. "Not the hair!" I gasped with dramatic wide eyes before walking back to him to give him another hug. "I'm kidding, dad." A devious smirk etched on my face. "But I'd be lying if I said that Letti didn't watch you walk away with a little smile of her own." I took a deliberate bite, inwardly jumping when he dropped his newspaper pointedly.

"Why you-"

"I'll be home later. Love you dad!" Pressing another quick kiss to his cheek, I hurriedly scrambled back out to join the girls in the living room, knowing he wouldn't follow me lest I embarrass him in front of them. _That was close._ But it was good to see him flustered like that since it had been a while. I'd heard it wasn't good for a man to be alone and just from seeing him pretty much alone all the time...I had to agree with it.

Not like I was planning on setting him up with someone so soon. I just figured that it would be okay for him to get out every once in awhile. (Be it with Oaken or someone else.) But I had to wonder if I really was okay with all of that. _Yes_ I missed my mother like crazy, but my intentions were for my dad's well-being and if he decided that he wasn't over my mother yet, in _no_ way would I push him. I just didn't like the fact that he was home alone a lot of the time.

I just didn't know. Though, what I _did_ know was that this wasn't the time to be thinking about such things. _Got somewhere to be!_ With renewed focus, I added a little hop to my steps. However when I got to the first couch, I'd just taken another savory bite when I saw all six pairs of eyes snap in my direction and instantly size me up like they hadn't spent nearly two hours getting ready with me. Seeing them with narrowed eyes had me once again looking over my attire for the night. "What?" I asked after finding nothing out of place. Another bite and I was done with my little soft brick of happiness.

"How can you _eat_ like you eat and then _look_ like you look?" Kida glared almost menacingly at me as I licked my thumb to rid it of residual cream. When I only frowned in confusion at her, she stood up to emphasize her flat stomach. "I mean, I gotta do a few sit ups every night _and_ have a salad at least four times out of the week to keep this figure!"

 _Heard of a metabolism? Or a gym?_ Raising an amused brow, I patted my own stomach and let a wide grin curl my lips. "Chicken wings." I smirked triumphantly, holding a thumb up like a dork. They all rolled their eyes at me.

"Gross! How can you eat that?" Felicity's nose scrunched at the thought, making us look from my flexing arms to the youngest girl curiously. _What's not to like?_ I would have asked, but she was already on another point. "You know it's just a scam to sell off the trash of the chicken?"

 _Huh._ "Well, it's certainly the best trash _I've_ ever had." I chuckled. And, _now_ I had to wonder what the others thought about it. What Elsa thought. Personally, I loved the things and would even consider them my favorite food, next to waffles.

"Didn't they originally used to cut the wings off and throw them away?" Sen asked as she brought a pondering finger to her shiny lips. _So it's like that, huh?_ I narrowed my eyes at her before checking Kida's expression, but then decided to leave her out of it because she was still looking over me with a critical eye. She even had the gall to come over and squeeze my arms experimentally.

"Maybe," I answered Sen while frowning at Kida to hopefully get her to cut it out and when she finally shrugged and left me alone, I brought my gaze back to Sen. "But some awesome individual figured out that if you actually smother them in sauce, they could talk people into thinking wings were good and know what?" I leaned in conspiratorially. "They were right!"

"Why are we even talking about chicken wings?" Kida felt inclined to ask, since she hadn't caught up with our conversation so far.

"Did you ever notice that they don't put buffalo sauce on any _other_ part of the chicken?" Felicity crossed her arms defiantly.

"You're crazy." I huffed, tossing my hair back like it was second nature to me. "Ever tried buffalo chicken wraps from _Djali's_?" They were seriously the best.

"You're allowed to go there? How'd Elsa take it?" Sen asked, forcing an incredulous scoff from me while Kida and Felicity did their best to cover the snickers they released.

"Of _course_ I'm allowed to go there!" I threw my hands up dismissively. "Elsa's not some paranoid maniac and she knows I wouldn't do something stupid to lose her." They weren't swayed in the least.

"So, essentially, you haven't been there since the incident you told us about, huh?" Sen's grin was wicked enough to make me look away from her while biting on my lower lip.

"No." Was my gritted admission that made them all giggle at me like madwomen. _Seriously!_

"How long has it been since you've spoken to that leggy, long, black-haired beauty- what was her name?" Kida drawled. That time I began to march over to her so I could wipe that stupid look off her face.

"Who's _that_ now?" Felicity asked, eyes growing wide with question.

"Our Anna's quite popular." Sen pointed out. I felt my face heating up in more embarrassment than anger, but before I could try to defend myself, or blow up at them, someone else handled it for me.

"HEY!" A gruff voice cut through their onslaught, effectively silencing them. _Thank you!_ I cried inwardly, turning around from Kida to face the door.

The other six pairs of eyes broke away from each other and landed on the newcomer. I felt my own eyes instantly light up to see Stuart's youngest brother dressed in a formal tux with one of those hats that limo drivers had. The thought didn't even occur to me as I all but bounded over to greet him first, not even perturbed that he hadn't bothered to knock.

"Hey, Bobby!" I gave him a warm smile before wrapping my arms around him in a big hug, which he returned easily. "Thank you." I murmured, causing him to chuckle quietly like he knew what he'd walked in on.

" _Wow_ , Wildfire. You're beautiful." Bob chuckled before stepping back to admire me like a grandparent and then looked back over my shoulder to wave his hand as a peace offering. "Hey, everyone. Mr. Crescent." Only then did he remove his hat to address my dad properly. "Sir."

"What are you doing here?" I asked after my dad only grunted his response and not missing the opportunity to rub at his newly shaven head for faux luck. Unlike Stuart's _Conan the Barbarian_ hair, Bob liked his own hair short. I liked to think that he kept it like that to make him look a little more tough because he was as short as me, but had a bit more husky muscle than both of his brothers did, seeing as he was one of the best linemen on his football team when they were in school. (His size had never been a problem.)

"Why didn't he knock?" Kida whispered in the background in a near annoyed tone.

"Sorry about that." He apologized sheepishly. "I _did_ knock, but nobody answered and since the door was unlocked and the Crescents know me, I figured-"

"It's fine, it's fine." I waved his apologies away and then glanced behind him. "Is Kevin with you?"

"Kevin's on an expedition in Alaska." Bob shrugged. "And that's too bad for him because _I'm_ here to take you all to your dance tonight!" With a professional straightening of his tie, he then gestured back out the door where we all were already looking and placed his hat back on. "Courtesy of _Felonious Limousines._ " At the name, I instantly knew the rental was either _free_ or highly discounted. It was one of Gru's numerous ways of apology to my dad and I wasn't hating it whatsoever. _Especially now._

"What?!" My dad yelped, darting back out of the kitchen to stand behind us.

Out there, just at the edge of our lawn was a very nice, very handsome looking white stretch limousine that had the other halves of dates lined up in front of it. _Whoa._

"Gru owns this company?" My dad asked a grinning Bob who nodded.

"Among other things." He then offered his arm to me. "Last pictures Mr. Crescent? Perhaps _this_ one with those other troublemakers?" A snort left my dad at that one, but I ended up taking his arm too and we all made our way to where the guys were practically shaking in their suits. Three piece suits.

"You guys look _so_ awesome!" I beamed at them, breaking away from Bob and my dad to eagerly take Olaf and Kristoff's necks in my arms. All their vests matched their dates in one way or another, hair was fixed and gelled right on point and just _wow!_ I couldn't have been more surprised at my best friends in that moment.

"You clean up good too, Shorty." Kristoff stepped away first to look over me, followed by Olaf who smiled back at me just as wide. Looking from them to Milo, I sent a friendly grin his way.

"You look very smart, Milo." I said as Kida went to stand next to him with a light flush on her cheeks. They were _all_ blushing like the shy, awkward teens we were supposed to be.

"Thank you, Anna." Warm brown eyes met mine. "You look amazing." He added politely.

"You _all_ look amazing!" I declared, refusing to get flustered by that compliment and stepped back so the remaining girls could stand next to their guys.

" _Oh!_ Before I forget." Olaf nudged Milo and Kristoff pointedly, making them turn with him. After a short second, they turned in unison to present corsages to their ladies who in turn gasped. _How romantic!_ I thought with a smirk, wishing that I at least knew what color Elsa's dress had been so I could've gotten her one too. _Prom. Definitely Prom._ Instead, I opted to split my wristbands with her since I didn't have time to stop and get her anything else. I left it at that and instead brought my attention to the present.

Sen's dress was a nice pink lace one that brought out the tone of her skin beautifully and had a low cut back which actually covered all the way down to her feet. Kristoff's tie and the cloth that went in the breast pocket actually matched the soft pink, while Olaf's vest, and cloth matched the forest green of Felicity's shorter halter top dress. Finally, Milo's vest, his tie _and_ the cloth all matched the different colors of Kida's more colorful party dress that consisted of a solid purple from the bodice and faded into a sky blue, ending in a darker blue at the bottom. In my opinion, the dress was fun and daring like her attitude and suited her. All their dresses did. Looking over them as a whole, I could see that they were all love-struck and so incredibly adorable that I had to snap a few of my own pictures before my dad all but shoved me into the mix.

Oh, tonight was going to be so much fun.

* * *

 _Outside the gym._

"Okay, you can give my hat back now." Bob reached over to remove it from my head himself so he could do his job and open the doors for us. I'd hopped in the front with him on the way to the school while the others sat in the back. They all protested, but I was happy keeping Bob company until we got to the actual dance. Besides, I didn't want to be caught in the middle of all _that_ mess of making googly eyes at one another. (Not yet, anyway.)

After letting the others out, Bob opened my door for me and offered a chivalrous hand. I took it with a lopsided grin, stepping out and doing a half-baked curtsy as he let out a chortle. "Thank you my good sir." I finished in a snobbish voice, making him lean in to kiss my hand.

"You're welcome, fair maiden." When he straightened back up, he then stepped beside me to look over the entryway. "I remember high school." He huffed, watching as numerous fancy dressed students flowed in and out of the entrance all with excitement scribbled on their faces.

"You only graduated a _year_ ago." I pointed out, jabbing him in the ribs. Already, I could hear blood pumping songs coming from in there and it made a nice surge of adrenaline course through me. The group I came with were busy looking over themselves and each other, but I could sense the energy that was coming off of them in waves.

"True." Bob nodded, bringing my attention back to him. "So where's _your_ date, Wildfire?"

"Oh, she's probably already inside." I shrugged a shoulder as my eyes scanned the entrance too.

Bob snapped his head back to me in surprise. " _She?_ " He mused quizzically.

"I thought Stu would have told you already." I playfully nudged his shoulder and then waved the rest of my group off when they told me they were heading in.

"I thought he was joking!" Bob threw his head back in a contagious laugh that rubbed off on me. "Okay, _Sapphic goddess,_ you should probably get in there before someone tries to pick her up."

I rolled my eyes at that. "Oh _please._ " Waving him off haughtily. "I'll break their nose if they tried. You know I would."

"I like 'em Feisty." Bob grinned deviously at me and I didn't hesitate to return it. "But I wonder if _you'll_ be getting some attention too." Looking over me once again, he added, "It's not everyday you wear a dress and I wouldn't be surprised if even _Stu_ tried to sneak in a dance somewhere." He waggled his eyebrows at me. I'd just about told him that I wore a skirt everyday and that it wasn't such a big deal when a familiar sensation fell over me.

"Not if _I_ can help it."

Bob and I both froze at that icy, velvet voice. A voice that warmed me to my very core while sending chills all the way down to my ankles. I swallowed thickly and inwardly tried to prepare myself for what I was about to see. Even Bob took a shaky step back when he turned to see who it was.

"I-I take it, _you're_ Anna's date tonight?" He stammered, beet red.

"Not just tonight." Elsa's lightly accented voice sounded closer to me, making a stupid grin nearly split my face in two. "Everyday. Every night." Her hand took purchase at my hip almost possessively. "For as long as she'll have me." She finished, sliding that hand further up to my waist.

My throat went bone dry.

"Sweet." Bob breathed dumbly. "Well- I- um," He cleared his throat. "Hi. I'm a friend of Anna's. Name's Bob," awkward pause. "A-and I'll be going now."

"Bye Bobby." I managed to choke out, not bothering to look at him because Elsa was on that side too. _Oh man, oh man!_

"It was nice to meet you, Bob." Elsa replied before bringing her free hand up to her face in my peripheral vision, making me realize that I hadn't fully looked at her yet. _Breathe, Anna. In and out. Oh, you've seen her in less than her school uniform AND casual clothes. You've seen her sweaty for crying out loud!_ That didn't help me at all, but when a soft embarrassed giggle left her mouth, I couldn't help but glance curiously at her.

"What happened?" I kept my eyes on hers, not wanting to ruin the surprise just yet.

"Was that too much?" Glacier blue eyes peeked sheepishly at me from behind her hand. Her fine nails were painted too.

"No!" I shook my head before taking a step in front of her so I could console her. Big mistake. My eyes instantly took in the features of her beautiful face and then they were helpless to fall the rest of the way down to her feet and slowly back up. She wore a rich blue colored dress that hugged her enticing curves and ended just below her knees with a train that dipped unevenly to the side, shoulderless with open-toed heels and her hair? It fell in lusciously thick platinum waves around her neck and shoulders with shiny little sparkles in it that glittered in the light. She stole my breath away.

"W-what?" Elsa self-consciously pushed her hair behind her ear, trying to look away from my avid gaze.

"Wow." I somehow managed through my empty lungs. _"Wow!"_ Complete gibberish fell out of my mouth at first, so I tried again when she tilted her head questioningly at me. "You...you look..." How could I find a word to describe her? Beautiful? Gorgeous? Stunning? "I'm so stupefied right now." I chuckled awkwardly, reaching up to scratch my neck with a flush on my face. "Y-you're just so..." Shaking my head, I dropped my gaze to find my hands bringing hers up to kiss her knuckles. "Enchanting isn't that big a word to describe how you look to me, Snow Paw." I whispered earnestly.

"Anna." Elsa's voice held such a bashful tone that immediately made my lips jump from her knuckles and up to her lips in a chaste kiss. How I wanted it to be longer!

"You're my dream come true, Elsa Mariani." Was my final answer with another soft kiss before I pulled away and smiled like a lovesick imbecile at her. My next thought was one that was _thankful_ that I'd chosen to wear my blue converse instead of purple like I'd originally planned. Like the little bits of the guys' tuxes that matched their dates, _mine_ appeared almost the same and I couldn't stop the small laugh from escaping me because of it.

"And you're mine, Anna Crescent." Elsa stated quietly, stepping closer to tenderly place her hands on both my cheeks. " _Sei bellisima._ " She whispered before leaning down to capture my lips in a lingering kiss that left my knees weak.

* * *

 _'...It's so magical feeling, that no one's got a hold. You're a catalyst to your own happiness, you know?'_

Sliding smoothly in between Olaf and Kristoff until I was a step in front of them, I raised my fist along with them and started pumping it while our hips rocked in time with the beat. Even my leg joined in as we kept up with on another.

 _'This is your heart. it's alive. It's pumpin' blood. And the whole wide world is whistling.'_

Kida and the other girls joined in as we raising both our hands up and we tumbled them in the air before breaking apart to move our hips while roaring with laughter. Around us, others cheered, but only whoever was directly in the middle of the dance floor were the main ones really having a go at dancing and that's exactly where _we_ all were.

 _''Cause it's your heart, it's alive. It's pumpin' blood. And it's your heart, it's alive. It's pumpin' blood. And the whole wide world is whistling.'_

Taking Elsa's hands in mine, I placed her in front of me while I continued to move my hips around her and she surprised me by raising her hand to do the same pumping motion with the widest smile I'd ever seen on her face. And when her hips moved in sync with mine, I held both of my arms up and spun around, only to end right back up behind her as we continued to move along to the energetic beat.

 _'And the whole wide world is whistling. It's whistling...'_

We were soon joined by the rest and we ended up dancing wildly altogether until the song segued into another. As soon as it did, I felt Elsa tug me away before I could start up again with Kida who already had her hands in the air and was calling out. With no resistance, I followed the girl of my dreams to the tables where refreshments were set up.

"This is insane!" I tossed my hair back over my shoulder to fan at my hot face. We'd been at it since the start and I had no idea how long ago that was. Elsa handed me a cup of punch that went down like air and I wasted no time in pouring myself some more. Two more cups until I was finally sated, which let me lean back against the edge to continue catching my breath as my eyes scanned the crowd. Of course, I saw the two people that gave me the wrong kind of chills: Ariel and Hans. What had me grinning a bit, though, was the fact that they were both holding up the walls quite lamely.

"I think this is the most fun I've had at one of these things." Elsa admitted with a small smile, but when she shuffled her feet somewhat uncomfortably, I glanced down to her poor feet. _Those heels._ Now, I already knew she could dance, but _dear_ _Freyja_ I had _no_ idea just how awesome she was at it! _Very, very attractive. Sexy, even._ I swear I'd fallen in love all over again. But.

"Come on." With an an enthusiastic grin, I took her hand and a few finger sandwiches before leading her to one of the tables that had been set up just on the cusp of the dance floor. Thankfully it was empty. "How are you holding up, Snow Paw?" I asked, taking a bite and offering her the other which she didn't refuse.

"Well, I do wish I hadn't worn heels." She let out a short laugh while using her free hand to push it through her glorious head of hair. I loved the scent she had. Especially now that she'd been overheating a bit. Finishing off my sandwich, I wiped my hands before leaning down to lift her left foot into my lap as calmly as I could. "A-Anna!" Elsa quickly tried to cover her legs up, even instinctively pressing her heel into my thigh as if to retract her foot. It was _so_ cute.

"Didn't I ever tell you what I great masseuse I am?" I asked, deliberately sliding my hands up to her tense calf.

"Th-that's not necessary, An-" A satisfied huff cut off the rest of her resistance as I squeezed and she leaned fully back in her chair. _That's what I thought._ My hands worked over her calf with just the right amount of pressure, feeling as some of the tension fell away and once I was done, I moved down to her ankle. By then, Elsa was so relaxed she looked like she was slouching in her seat and it only spurred me on to reach for her other leg which she had no qualms about.

 _These legs._ I had to bite my lip to keep my mind focused, but seriously, her legs were practically mouthwatering and I found myself wanting to drag my lips across them. _Maybe that'll get the tension out better._ A devious thought presented itself, though before I could possibly think about doing that, my slightly distracted hands moved up a bit too high. Just above the backs of her knees, causing the gorgeous girl to stiffen and then force her legs from my lap so she could virtually fold them under her with a stern look at me.

It happened to suddenly that both my hands were left suspended in the air and with a confused look on my face. "What? What'd I do?" I fought the urge to snicker at the expression directed my way when I brought my eyes to her, though. "Too much?"

"That tickles." She muttered around a light pout. My eyes widened and I was sure my brain detached itself, leaving me completely air-headed with a big dumb smile on my face. _Sweet Odin's mother!_ That pout. I'd never seen anything like it.

"There you are!" Kristoff's voice broke our gaze away from each other to see the rest of the gang as they gathered around the table with their own refreshments. Unconsciously, I dusted the front of my dress off before crossing my legs.

"Stuart's doing a pretty good job up there, huh?" I asked, unfolding my legs so I could scoot my chair closer to Elsa's side where I didn't hesitate to slide my hand into hers.

"That's Stu?!" Olaf squinted back to where said guy was fist pumping, earning scattered cheers for the next song he played.

"Of course it is." I nodded. "Didn't you see his stupid _bronytail_?" My eyes zeroed in on the black and blue wristbands on Elsa's left wrist that matched the ones on my right. When I looked back up, she was there to meet me with a fond smile that melted my heart. _This girl._

"Hey, what's wrong with a bronytail? It tells people that you're fun and perky." Sen added through a giggle.

"No, it really _is_ over the top." Kristoff patted her hand. "Even for him." He was only saying that because when we first met, Stuart's hair had a nice fade which grew into a faux hawk and then ended up as long as it was a year later. I figured it just took him by surprise is all.

"I told him to get _Jay Hutton's_ haircut earlier today." I put in and brought Elsa's hand into my lap to draw random patterns on her palm while she casually brought her cup to those full lips of hers.

"Oh, he's hot." Olaf and Sen said at the same time, making Elsa nearly choke on her drink and the rest of us laugh when they shared a high-five.

"So, Milo, Felicity," I drew attention away from our awesome DJ to the two newest members of our group with a smile. "What do you think?" Gesturing to the moving bodies on the dance floor and beyond.

"I don't think I've had this much fun at my other dances." Felicity answered first, prompting a chuckle from Olaf. _Dorks._

"Same here." Milo set his drink down. "The decorations are outstanding too. Who put it together?"

I perked up right away and motioned to Elsa proudly. "This tall drink of water right here." I felt her tense a bit as everyone looked at her, but I had enough sense to reassure her with a squeeze of my hand.

"It wasn't _only_ me." She muttered modestly.

I brought her hand up to kiss it. "You did the majority of it, my lovely."

"Get a room." Kida shot us a look that made Elsa stifle a giggle while I stuck my tongue out, pressing another kiss to Elsa's hand for good measure.

"Excuse me, Anna." A new voice suddenly joined us and we wasted no time in looking behind us to see a very pretty Gerda who was dressed in a one-shoulder champagne colored dress, accompanied by Hans. I would be lying if I said he didn't look handsome in his white tux with hints of green in it. "I hate to interrupt, but can we steal Elsa from you for a minute? Council stuff." She reiterated, genuinely sorry for having to ask.

"By all means." I stood and helped Elsa up too with an easy smile. "I'll be here when you get back." Assuring her with another kiss to her knuckles. Leaning in, she whispered something in Italian to me that made shivers course through me from the language alone, leaving a now dumbstruck smile on my face as she swayed away. _That voice._

"Hey, I got a dare for the two of youse." Kristoff announced, tugging me back down and sliding his chair closer along with Olaf. Only then did I notice that the other girls were nowhere in sight. _Huh. Bathroom probably._ A devious smirk plastered to his face when he leaned in, cutting off my thought of them not inviting me too. "I dare you two to slow grind with your girls."

"What?!" Olaf and I yelped in unison. Kristoff only waved us away with a laugh.

"What about you?" I bared my teeth at him. "You can't just dare us to do something like that _without_ doing something yourself. And what about Milo? Shouldn't he be in on it too?" At that, said guy's attention darted to us. I winked at him.

"I-I-I haven't even been with Felicity that long!" Olaf lamented, knowing that he would ultimately try because we just didn't back down from dares. "But yes, what are _you_ going to do?" He asked Kristoff too.

"The cheesy moves ranging from the _salt-shaker_ to the _cabbage patch._ " He stated proudly, making us frown at him.

"No fair." Olaf muttered, going on about Kristoff knowing Sen a lot longer than he knew Felicity. I felt for him and decided to voice my own question.

"Well, if _you_ get to pick your own moves, why can't we?" I folded my arms over my chest.

"What do you plan on doing?" Kristoff asked from over his drink. "Keep in mind that we will all be in charge of the judging."

It was my turn to grin devilishly at him. "It's a secret." Straightening back up confidently, I added, "And we each get to put in song requests to Stuart."

"Deal." They nodded in agreement and joined my hand in a three-person circle. That was until I prompted Milo to as well. He looked a little skeptical, but didn't resist.

"I know you don't know us very well, Milo" I began. "But trust me when I say that Kida's going to want in on it too."

"That's true." He conceded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Perhaps _she_ can be the one to actually do the dare and I'll pretend to not have heard it?"

"We can run it by her." I affirmed, not removing my hand until his eyes filled with resolve.

" _Ooo,_ what'd we miss?" Sen asked once they showed back up to take their seats again just after we broke apart from our plans.

Shooting a wicked grin to Kristoff, I patted his shoulder firmly. " _You_ started it, so you go first."

"Is that a dare?" Chocolate-colored eyes narrowed at me.

"Bet your pink tie." I nodded. He instantly shot out of his seat and tugged at Sen who followed right after him with a little skip in her step. When they disappeared into the crowd, Olaf and I gave Kida the rundown of our little game which she whole-heartedly agreed to.

Leaning back in my seat, I took another sip of the cup Elsa left behind since mine was empty and once the song in the background switched to a different one, all our attention drew back to the dance floor. Sen was there and already ready to double over in laughter as Kristoff immediately got to work on his moves. The rest of us shook our heads at the awkward human wall and shared a hearty laugh when he loosened his tie to do what looked a lot like the mashed potato.

"I give him an 8 for that last move." I chuckled.

"4, because he started too fast and hasn't included much dancing with Sen." Kida said thoughtfully.

"7.5, because he's _still_ out there dancing like a fool and for the _pony_ he just did." Olaf laughed.

Just then, I spotted Elsa emerging from the entrance into the school and wasted no time in shooting up from my seat. "I'm next!" I declared, scrambling away before they could protest. As I made my way through the crowd, I kept an eye on Elsa's location and once I got to the DJ table, I sidled up next to him with an overly friendly grin on my face. "Hey, Stu." I drawled playfully.

"Hey, mama." He kept his focus for a split second and then shot a smile at me. "Come to offer me my dance?"

"Funny." I chuckled, prompting him to too.

"Heh. I'm kidding." His eyes met mine again. "What's your request?"

A brow rose curiously when I told him, but when I only shrugged, he replaced that look with a mischievous one and shooed me away so he could start the song. I couldn't care less that people might not have known how to dance to the song I chose because I was already standing directly behind the love of my life.

"Dance with me, Sweetheart." I breathed into her shoulder before pressing a tender kiss to it. Elsa stiffened a bit, but when my hand traveled down to take hers and I stepped in front of her to kiss her knuckles again in invitation, she relaxed. As she moved away from Gerda, I got to see the way her head tilted slightly to hone into what was playing and a playful smile captured her lips like she knew exactly what I wanted to do.

As the song progressed, I gently pushed my hand against hers, taking the lead and we each took a few steps away from the wall, closer to the middle of the dance floor. People would move once we started anyway.

 _'When the night has come and the land is dark.'_

I tugged Elsa back to me and she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around my neck and shoulder as I used our momentum to dip her with a wink. When we straightened up again, I kept a firm hold on her lower back and around the back of her head and we swayed together smoothly.

 _'Y la luna es la luz que brilla ante mí.'_

Two fast-paced turns and we were back to stepping side to side as Elsa's hips easily wagged with each movement while I brought our hands out to keep them stretched that way, not slowing our movement in the slightest.

 _' Miedo no, no tendré, Oh I won't, me asustaré. Just as long as you stand, stand by me.'_

Ever so carefully, I lifted our hands higher and she didn't hesitate to turn, keeping a hold of mine to wrap it around her waist as our noses brushed. With a happy grin, I prompted her to turn again so my other arm was resting on her shoulders. All while our feet kept up the rhythm.

 _'And darlin', darlin, stand, by me. Oh, stand by me. Oh, stand, junto a mí, junto a mí.'_

Stepping side to side again after coming back from spinning her around in my arms, I again lifted our hands and she spun without wrapping my arm around her. _Those hips._ They seriously swayed so dangerously I felt I would swallow my tongue. During the next turn, she took my other hand and held it as she pressed her backside into me, placing our hands on her stomach with our hips moving together like we were one.

 _'Y aunque las montanas o el cielo caiga.'_

All at once, we were face to face and I didn't hesitate to lift our hands over my head, supporting her as she dipped again and pulling her back up when she leaned back. Just after she righted herself, she quickly spun away and I tugged her back only to reach up to glide my hand through her hair to cup her cheek. Her own hand came up to repeat the action and we kept our foreheads together, still stepping fluidly from side to side.

 _'No lloraré, no lloraré, oh. I won't shed a tear. Porque sé que tú estás junto a mí.'_

Elsa stole a kiss as our heads separated and we changed the position of our hands again with mine now on her lower back and the other suspended. When I brought our hands down, Elsa's hips almost deliberately ground into me, robbing me of breath, but I dared not mess up our rhythm and instead, prepared to dip her again. Only that time, I felt her calf as it wrapped around my right leg and slide right up as she lowered herself. _Man alive!_ That was the sexiest thing she'd ever done in public!

 _'And darlin', darlin' stand by me. Oh, stand by me.'_

Tugging her back up, it was her turn to lift our hands up and I instinctively turned until we were face to face again. Two more swift turns and we ended by pressing so close together I could feel each and every one of her curves fitting perfectly against me.

 _'Oh stand, junto a mí, junto a mí.'_

Cheers erupted around us and I only just realized that Stuart had taken the opportunity to turn one of the lights surrounding his table directly at us. Like I'd predicted, there was a wide berth around Elsa and I with everyone straining to get a look of who had occupied the floor. _Oh._ Glancing around to the numerous gazes ranging from amazed to straight up jealous, I shot Elsa an apologetic smile before bowing to our audience and then pulling her away to safety as the next song started up.

 _'Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen. Tonight we'll put all other things aside...'_

As soon as we ended up in the hallway Elsa had come out of, we both were gasping and once we made eye contact, a gut busting laughter could be heard in all directions. _I'm definitely head over heels for you._ I thought and didn't even wait to catch my breath so I could eagerly press my lips to hers.

* * *

 _A/N: And there it is ladies and gents :) The Dance._

 _Song Inspirations: 'Pumpin' Blood' by: NONONO (I like the Glee version though.) 'Stand By Me' by: Prince Royce. And if you know that last song, kudos to you *smirks*_ _ **I own nothing.**_

 _Again, I've never been to one of those things and if I did, I was usually right there with Ariel *ahem* Anyway, this is the looongest chapter by far and I intend on_ _trying_ _to shorten them after this._  
 _Also sorry for the delay. I got distracted by reading some and writing another story of mine and an unfortunately brief case of writer's block..._

 _Hope y'all enjoyed it because I had a time writing their dance. (I also don't dance.) Thanks for reading!_

 _Tootles~_


	33. Snowflakes and Darth Vader

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Labored breathing filled the air with an occasional grunt between us as I pulled back to wipe the sweat from my brow. "I'll just say what you said, Sweetheart:" With a satisfied grin on my face, feeling my heart pounding in my chest in a surge of excitement and adrenaline, I got a look of just how hot the love of my life was looking right about now. " _You're not going to hurt me._ " A breathless chuckle left my mouth.

"Oh, _yes_ I am." Elsa Mariani huffed, tossing her glorious hair back with a frisky smirk on her tasty full lips that had me blushing even before her added, " _Baby._ " She was covered in an attractive layer of sweat, her own chest heaving in exertion and anticipation as she weaved out of the way on nimble feet. My eyes followed her movements, deducing that she was faster than I, that unlike me, she was an indirect fighter. And crazy patient, with those bright cerulean eyes constantly staying watchful of every little move I made across the mats. _That's hot._ But I needed to focus, lest I get roped into staring at her like a dork.

I'd already figured her speed and fighting style out from the beginning because she had pinned me easily enough when I hesitated to really spar with her. It had riled me up enough to ease my conscience about possibly hurting her and it brought us right back to where we were now. A crooked grin captured my lips when she danced out of the way of one of my direct jabs, continuing to circle around and basically redirect _anything_ I threw to try to create an opening. _I have you figured out, Love._

Anticipating her next attack, I parried her swift right jab, but just as I did, she threw three more. Another right, left and an uppercut directed at my midsection and I didn't hesitate to curve my body to the right. That split reaction let me feel that last one as it skimmed my side. _Whoo!_ That would have been a good bruise, considering that I felt the confidence, the _power_ behind that punch like the bite of an ice pack before it touched bare skin. She was amazing! However, I was determined not to be so easy to get to next time.

I surged forward, my moves a burst of fire to her more thoughtful water-like motions. Elsa had told me earlier that she'd taking a few self-defense classes over the last two summers while _I_ had more than a few spars here and there with my dad, Oaken and had even gotten a few tips from Sly himself. Other than that, I'd had a couple of scraps under my belt from school or the occasional fight that broke out during the dance battles Alice had taken me to. So it wasn't surprising that _my_ method of fighting was a little more aggressive. All of that aside, Elsa and I were pretty well matched.

Actually, the original idea for a sparring session between the two of us had come from none other than Esmeralda. Four days into our winter break, the tall, emerald-eyed beauty had stopped by Black Bear Auto shortly after Elsa had come to pick me up. It had been two days before Christmas Eve and because Danny had a heart, he told us that he would give us an extra half a day off before Christmas Eve. And even though Esmeralda claimed to only be there for an oil change, Elsa wasn't too convinced by her innocence, opting to nearly stay glued to my side while I did just that.

Somewhere in the conversations that followed, Emmie had convinced to hit the gym.

So a day later found me blowing out a deep breath, I matched Elsa's pace as we slowly circled each other like predators with little smirks on our faces. _Those arms._ As well as she carried herself, I also had an advantage on those calculating arctic blues and didn't wait to exploit them once I figured out her style of fighting. She surveyed and I was able to think on my feet. _Oh yeah._ I prepared to throw an attack, catching that diligent look before switching up and throwing an entirely different one that had Elsa _just_ barely avoiding a left jab to her side. _Heh._ A few more fake outs and I could tell I was actually turning out to be a bit of a challenge for her.

On the other hand, _my_ main challenge lay within the scenery.

Elsa's fighting attire consisted of little black shorts and a matching crop top that showed off copious amounts of smooth skin from her muscular legs and quite toned midriff. _Eyes up, Crescent!_ It was both _practical_ because I couldn't 'accidentally' grab any loose clothing and it was also _problematic_ mainly because I couldn't help but let my eyes wander. Distracted. Especially by the sweat that trickled down those muscles, dragging my thoughts away, almost naturally to equate it to something else entirely and I needed to stop it before it became an issue.

She lunged forward and threw a fast one-two combo to my jaw and exposed stomach again, yanking me back out of my reverie. Instinctively, I slapped her hand away from the last one and counterattacked with a powerful right jab. Playing right into her plan, unfortunately. I only figured that out when Elsa's wrist met mine, redirecting my hit off to the side and spun effortlessly on her heel to come back around with her other hand shifting menacingly, preparing to attach it to the back of my neck. _Oh, no you don't!_ Twisting my body as quickly as I could, I again swatted her hand away and I didn't hesitate to dip forward, taking those amazing hips in my arms.

Locking my hands around the back of Elsa's thighs, I hoisted her up into the air and was hardly prepared for her mouthwatering legs to wrap around my waist, but I forced myself to focus. It was her attempt to hopefully twist her body, therefore throwing me off balance as we began our descent. Nope. Didn't work on me. I managed to slam her down onto the mat, forcing a noise out of her that shot a bolt of electricity down my spine. I barely had time to process when she suddenly arched upward to keep her shoulders from touching the mat and my imminent pin and as soon as she did that, I couldn't help but instantly hone in on our positions with a dry throat.

Our lips were mere inches apart, parted because of our heavy panting, hair messed up on both ends and her legs still wrapped around my waist. _Woof._ Blue clashed with teal as our eyes locked for a moment. It was a moment that ended with hardened resolve in those eyes, the feeling of her feet connecting with my hipbones, and her practically shoving me back until she could slide out from under me. Another dumb grin twitched on my lips, making me all but crawl after her to try to get my hold on her back again. That thought ended when Elsa expertly flipped onto her feet and I was quick to spring up after her.

Wasting not another moment, I greeted her with a blaze of punches that she easily deflected or blocked and when my foot made contact with her thigh, she sucked it up. Not swayed by my distraction and _Freyja_ I was stupid enough to make the mistake of trying it again. That time, her hand wrapped around my ankle and she didn't think twice to pull my center of gravity off. My eyes widened when a gentle push presented itself to my shoulder and before I knew it, I was back on the mat with Elsa already there to try to pin me. _I'm not done yet!_

A primal growl escaped my mouth as I fought to sit up, only to be met with a surprising burst of strength from Elsa, who released her own feral growl and slammed me back down. _W-what?_ I didn't have any time to really question what happened because she had wriggled up to place herself squarely on my hips. Gritting my teeth stubbornly, I bucked against her to try to get her off of me, but she wasn't having it and only proceeded to bear down on me with a competitive look in her eyes. Or, at least I _thought_ that's what it was until I caught her scent. Not just hers, but I could smell a faint musk in the air that was without a doubt, stemming off from our body sweat. I was still left lightheaded. Elsa's scent went directly to my head, stirring it up until I was just as dizzy, but it also had me feeling weak. Exposed.

What was that feeling? I tried not to fall victim to it and instead, continued to writhe around under her, breathing hard and just trying to hopefully get out before it was all over. _I-_

Elsa's hot mouth pressed firmly against mine stopped all thoughts of escape.

There was half a second where I was utterly confused, but it soon passed like water under the bridge as I ardently returned her kiss with just as much heat. Images of just how sexy she looked the entire time crashed into my mind at once, making me forget all about anything else but her. My lips parted eagerly, inviting her tongue at first before ending up taking the initiative and sliding my own into her mouth first. Elsa's hands left my shoulders and she placed her forearms on either side of my head so she could lower herself until our chests touched. _Odin!_ Her maddening scent, the way she tasted, the flush of her skin, the way she was pressed into me and her sweet welcoming mouth...it was too much.

Reaching up, one of my hands took purchase at the base of Elsa's neck before sliding up and tangling in her luscious locks so I could pull her even closer while the other grazed down her side to the small of her back. A strangled noise left my mouth when I felt those hypnotic hips of hers start rocking against me and I was helpless to let my nails pulse into her lower back, prompting a light moan from her. The little noise made a fire course all through my body, stripping me and leaving pretty much nothing but basic urges since my brain had exploded sometime ago. It caused me to tighten my hold in her hair and in a moment of abandon, I pulled her mouth from mine so I could lead my own down her jawline.

Taking Elsa's sudden distraction into account, I easily flipped us over and kept her from fighting back by biting down on the tender flesh of where her jaw and ear met her neck. She squirmed when I ended up sucking on it before opening my mouth and allowing my tongue to trace upward until her earlobe was claimed as well. A long shaky sigh was released and her hands both came up to bury themselves in my hair, but I wasn't done. No way. My mouth, teeth and tongue moved down along her neck, tasting the saltiness of her sweat there and in turn, causing my own hips to start instinctively rolling against hers. Her hands then left to explore my back and stomach with those nails scratching into me to ultimately distract me, I figured. When she tried to possibly roll us over again, I clamped my mouth down in deliberate suction with a low growl to keep her there and even ground my hips into her.

Breaking away from my ministrations to her neck, I then took her wrists in my hands and pinned them over her gorgeous head, leaning down to kiss her just after. Hard. Mindlessly, my hips and their rocking turned a bit more urgent, instinctively finding the edge of Elsa's hipbone. _Oh_ , that felt good. Only when her own hips began moving against me did I finally get a little better sense of what was going on. My first actual thought was that Elsa was just as into it as I was and then the second was an unconscious one. One that made me realize the growing ache somewhere deep within me and that the grinding into Elsa's hip was only giving me a better _sensation_ , but not exactly what my body wanted. But what did it want?

"Crescent you done in there? Got someone to train!" Sly's voice was joined with a sharp knock to the door.

Crap.

Coming all the way back to my senses, I suddenly pulled away, only to look back down at Elsa who was breathing heavily, those now indigo colored eyes dilated and perfectly swollen lips. "U-uh, sure, Sly!" I croaked in a husky voice before clearing my throat. "Be right out!"

In a flash, I was on my back once more with Elsa kissing me deep and passionate enough for my brain to scatter once again. I choked down a whimper when she gently bit into my lower lip, sucking on it in parting before she ultimately held herself over me with that same playful smirk. " _I_ won." She whispered seductively, placing her hands on my shoulders to keep me pinned there as she got up and sauntered out of the room to the main workout area.

I lay there awhile longer with my head in a tizzy, gasping for air, and with the dopiest smile on my lips known to the human race. _She'll be the end of me._

* * *

Christmas Eve. The mall.

"What are you planning on getting Elsa?" Kristoff blew warm breath into his mittens as we waited for Olaf and Kida. I was too busy admiring the gently falling snowflakes to really be bothered by the cold, but as soon as I saw him do that, I took his arm and turned us so we could get inside. The four of us chose to meet at an indoor mall for once in order to get last minute gifts and since Olaf had offered to pick Kida up, Kristoff and I decided go on ahead since Olaf was a timid weather driver. Regardless that he had an all wheel drive car. I was sure Kida would more than likely yank him out of the driver's seat when she figured that out.

"I have a brilliant idea for Elsa's gift." I grinned at my best friend who was already thawing out from the warmth of the mall. "What about you?" Sen was actually out of town visiting her grandparents for Christmas, but I knew the guy had at least thought of something to give her when she came back. Right?

"Well..." He broke off in a chuckle that had me rolling my eyes.

"Kris, you can't just ask _me_ what I'm getting Elsa when you don't even have a plan yourself." I narrowed my eyes at him as I unzipped my jacket and brushed residual snow from my shoulders. "It's like, the law of physics, or something."

" _Physics._ " Kristoff snorted, jamming his hands into his jacket pockets. "It's not like I _don't_ have a plan." He muttered. "It's just that," Pause. "I could give her _jumper cables_ and she'd still make me feel like the world's best boyfriend."

A chuckle left my mouth before I could stop it and when I looked at him, he was focused on the tiles of the floor. "Sorry." Leaning back, I removed my gloves to put them in my pockets. "Elsa's the same way." I sighed. But it certainly was nice to hear my friend consider himself a boyfriend for once. _They grow up so fast!_ It felt like just yesterday we were too busy watching Anime, eating junk food, and joking around to be thinking about relationships.

"You know what she said the last time she asked to wear my favorite _North Face_ jacket and I offered to just _buy_ her one for Christmas?" Kristoff asked around a chuckle.

That got my attention and I looked curiously at him. "If it's cute I'm going to fangirl so hard."

With a shake of his head accompanied with a wide grin, he continued. "She just looked at me with these insane _Puss in Boots_ eyes and said: 'but this one smells like _you_.'" He'd just finished when I practically tackled him with a squeal.

"You two are _so_ adorable together!" I firmly wrapped my arms around his neck, causing him to try to steady the both of us before we tumbled to the floor. " _That's_ why you're wearing this jacket instead." Detaching myself, I tugged at the collar of one of his older favorite jackets that he'd had since freshmen year. A raggy old thing that actually looked comfortable enough to lounge around in.

"Yeah. Wasn't expecting the snow, though." Kristoff examined the material with a fond smile. "I think it's time to throw this one away, huh?"

"That, or it could take up space in your closet." I suggested, grinning up at him. Our companionable silence suddenly got interrupted by familiar voices. Angered voices.

"I told you not to drive so close to that truck!"

"How was _I_ supposed to know that deer would pop out of nowhere? I didn't even know deer lived around here!"

"They live everywhere!"

Kristoff and I frowned at each other before turning to see Olaf and Kida arguing as they walked into the mall entrance. When it only got more heated, we didn't hesitate to intervene and put ourselves between them.

"Alright, let's chill, you two." Kristoff took Kida's shoulders while I placed myself in front of Olaf. I didn't dwell on the fact that they were _literally_ chilled and instead focused on my other friend who was fuming in a way I hadn't seen before. It was a little odd because Olaf was _never_ upset. Unhappy at times, yes, but not like he was about to go out and punch something.

"What happened?" I asked quietly, ducking my head to try to get a look into his eyes.

"Olaf was tailgating some stupid truck that hit the breaks-" Kida started to answer first.

"I was _not_ tailgating him!" Olaf glared at her, making me turn to nod once at Kristoff.

"Okay, okay, let's go get some hot chocolate." I placed a firm hand on Olaf's shoulder and successfully lead him in the opposite direction Kristoff and Kida were headed. Luckily it _wasn't_ the same way to the food court because I was actually intent on buying something for him there.

We walked the rest of the way in silence and once we got there, I immediately placed our orders. Only when I lead him to a table to sit down, did he bury his face in his hands. _Yikes._ It was a short moment before I reached out to take one of his hands. "Are you okay, O? Being a girl, I know how the emotions can fly when under stress." I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but it got him to open up regardless. He knew he could talk to me.

"It was a fender bender." Olaf sighed heavily, letting me know that he wasn't about to cry. Good. If _he_ started crying, I wouldn't have known what to do because he wasn't the type to do that. "I-it was just shocking and Kida-" An annoyed growl left his mouth. "She just didn't take it well." Another deep huff. "It didn't help that the driver in front of us hit a baby deer. It was a _baby_." He choked out. "And the guy just took off after that."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. Sliding my chair closer, I wrapped a comforting arm around him which he leaned into gratefully. "But these things happen, buddy. Granted, Kida could have taken it a little easier on you since it's snowing out there and whatnot."

"She did offer to drive, but I don't trust her that much." He chuckled and then deflated further. "Now I don't trust myself either." My name being called from the counter stopped my response and I left him there for a moment to get our hot drinks. Hot Chocolate for him, Oolong Tea for me.

"Did you tell your mom?" I asked when I gave him his.

"Yeah. Marshmallow and my dad will be here soon." Olaf frowned at his cup. Again, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. "What am I supposed to tell them?" He groaned in defeat.

I shrugged. "Tell them it was a hit and run. That's what it was, right?" Even though I'd taken a careful sip, the liquid still managed to mercilessly burn my tongue, so I opted to let it cool down some more.

"Yeah. Expect me to be grounded for ruining the car though." He muttered, making a chuckle leave my mouth.

"What are you talking about, O?" I asked him with a scoff. "It's Christmas Eve. What parent, in their right mind, grounds their child during this time of the year? Especially one who hasn't been in trouble for a long time?" Waving his sour mood away, I then pulled him into a better hug with both arms. "Don't over think it."

"They'll still be upset with me."

"They would be a _lot_ more upset with themselves if you had totaled the car and ended up in the hospital." I shot back. Olaf cringed slightly, but I smoothed it over with a tender kiss to his temple. "You'll be fine." After a quiet moment more, I added, "And so will Kida. I guarantee an apology in three...two...one."

Olaf jumped when his phone cried out in his pocket and when he fished it out, he gave me a skeptical look. I sent him an innocent smile to hide the fact that I'd seen Kida and Kristoff appear at the stand across from where we were sitting.

* * *

December 25th.

My dad was sporting the new jacket I got him while I busied myself with trying to set up the Xbox one he'd gotten me. Complete with the newest _Assassin's Creed_ that was sitting on my left side. Neither of us really needed anything so our presents were bought pretty much off the top of our heads, but it was still something to open a few presents on Christmas so in no way did we refused that tradition. Those included: new headphones, a comfortable looking pair of sweatpants, a curling iron and of course some chocolate. For _him_ , I got the sweater he had yet to take off, a water bottle, deluxe shave kit, and the cookbook he'd been wanting.

Nice and simple. Perfect. Just like the ham sitting in the oven with it's tantalizing scent wafting into the living room, causing my stomach to growl. The man called my father told me that it was glazed with peach, there were scalloped potatoes, beans with celery bacon sauce and cheesecake for dessert. Obviously there was more that went into all the preparations and whatnot, but all of his recipe talk lost me somewhere. I just knew that I couldn't wait for everyone to show up so we could eat.

"I don't know about this." My dad's voice sounded over the merry songs in the background and unbeknownst to him, I grinned deviously. The Xbox was plugged in, ready to go, leaving me to mess around with the setup on screen, but my dad had my attention more.

"You don't know about what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Are you sure it was okay to invite the Mariani's over?" He cleared his throat awkwardly because his voice broke part way through. I stopped working on setting up the rest of the game and turned to face him.

"I'm okay with it." I nodded confidently. "It's just the two of them this year and since we had room somewhere between uncle Ragnar, aunt Leah, and Oaken, I thought it would be a nice gesture." They were the only ones to make it out to our place this year, which was fine because my dad decided to have a small dinner at the very last minute. (He'd had to work yesterday, unlike me.) And if anything, I was sure we'd be visiting more close family and those on my mom's side during the new year. For now though, I was more than happy to just stay home with him. "Besides, we'll be matched." I added. "You got Ragnar and Oaken while Leah can keep Letti company _and_ Elsa and I can play this game."

"Don't forget your grandparents and Amber." He shot me a grin that told me he could still possibly sway me for not having enough room. I gave him a look that said: _our place is not that tiny,_ which he only zipped up his jacket at, making me snort at him.

"Fine. Just add Grandpa in your little group. Elsa and I can teach Grammy how to play and Letti and Leah can give Amber nightmares about having a daughter." I chuckled, making my dad bark out a laugh before getting up to check on the ham. Everything was set up already, presents opened and now we were just waiting for the doorbell to ring. Popping my head up, I double-checked the decorations, the tree, the decorated table with plates, silverware, cups and the Christmas songs. _Looks good._ It better have since we were up around four to start everything; only waiting until after seven to open the presents. With a satisfied nod, I turned back to continue setting up the Xbox.

Not a moment later did the bell ring and jolted me right up to all but bounce to the door with an excited grin on my face. "I don't know about this- let's go!" Just as I opened the front door, I saw Elsa stumbling back a bit as her mother attempted to drag her away to their getaway car. One look at that scene made me think that it wouldn't have been that hard to imagine the car still running, but when icy blue eyes caught mine, she cleared her throat and straightened back up with an awkward smile on her lips.

"H-hi, _Gattina._ " Removing her arm from Letti's grasp, she immediately stepped closer to me. " _Buon Natale._ " Was her more excited response as I gave her a crooked smile.

"Hi, Snow Paw." I pulled her into a warm hug with a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Merry Christmas to you too." When she moved away, she returned my kiss to my nose and called back to Letti in the language that made shivers course throughout my body deliciously. She was wearing dressy black pants that hugged her hips, but fell straight over what looked like her black ankle boots, a thick grey jacket hid her shirt for now and I nearly fainted to see my beanie placed securely around her head. I almost didn't hear Letti coming back up the steps.

"I was just about to go back to the car to get the food we made." She replied sheepishly, standing beside her daughter. Unlike Elsa, Letti was wearing a nice lacy dark red sheath dress complete with heels, a furry black jacket and her hair was done up the same way it was when I first met her. _Those curls._ I swear, they were both gorgeous enough to make a goddess green with envy.

"Did you really bring something?" I asked, spreading my arms for a hug from her too.

"Of course, _Tesoro!_ " She scoffed and didn't refuse my hug. In fact, she returned it with gusto and even pressed a kiss to each of my cheeks. Off to the side, Elsa very subtly rolled her eyes when her mother exaggerated heavily on the kissing sounds. "Like I'd crash your dinner without bringing my own dish." Was her added giggle with a light swat to my shoulder that had me releasing a gentle laugh.

"Like you're _crashing_." I waved her away. "Want me to get it?"

"No, I'll do that. But you _can_ get my daughter inside in the meantime." With a wink, Letti left me to it. When she turned her back, Elsa leaned in to place a proper kiss to my lips before pulling back to smile warmly at me with her thumbs rubbing the spots where she claimed had lipstick prints on them.

"Does it look like I've been making out pretty good?" I asked with a smirk. Elsa's response was in Italian, which she clarified by pinching my cheeks pointedly.

" _I_ don't leave marks on your face." She said in a low voice, forcing another knowing chuckle from me. _No. You like leaving them elsewhere._ The devilish smirk I sent her told her just that and I had the pleasure of seeing her cheeks flush a bit from it. I got another pinch to my upper arm.

" _Ow!_ " I whispered harshly, pursing my lips out as I rubbed my arm. Elsa only shook her head with a playful smile. "So, what did you two lovely ladies make?" I asked as I offered my arm to lead Elsa further into the living room. Seriously, anything they made was sure to be delicious and I was looking forward to it.

"Pasta." She replied simply just as my dad's head appeared from the kitchen. "Hello, Mr. Crescent." A dazzling smile swept across her face as she released her hold on me and walked over to extend her hand to him.

"You can call me Ben." He took her hand gently with a friendly smile of his own.

"Or Benji." I snickered, earning a pointed look from him that had me turning to check on Letti. _Did she book it?_ Thankfully, she was making her way through the snowy drive that I made a note to clear off as soon as they were settled in. _Speaking of._ "Can I take your jacket, Milady? I promise I won't steal it."

"Indeed." Elsa began unzipping it and I suddenly found myself having a hard time watching either Elsa's hand as it pulled, the zipper and what it revealed, or just the shirt that she was wearing under it. "And I'd like the beanie back too." She whispered, opening up the jacket to reveal an aqua green colored blouse with the hem dipped off to the side (much like her dress,) it had a collar wide enough to show off just the right amount of her glorious collarbones and the sleeves only reached the tips of her shoulders.

"G-green looks good on you." I blurted, almost not holding onto her jacket and beanie as she gingerly placed them in my hands. Somewhere behind her, I heard my dad choke back a laugh. "I mean, sure! The beanie's yours- I-I mean-"

" _Cosa c'è, Tesoro?_ Is my daughter giving you grief?" Letti's comment made Elsa spin back around.

 _"Mami!_ " She hissed and replied in Italian while I scurried to hang the love of my life's jacket up. When I got back, I smiled at them and offered to take the pasta from the pretty woman, only to hand it straight to my dad so I could hang her jacket up too.

"Letizia, you remember my dad, right?" I asked from over my shoulder. Turning back around, I could see just how fabulous she looked and had a scary passing thought that said dad would drag me off and tell me this was a bad idea. Luckily, it was only a thought.

"Of course." Letti straightened up from quietly arguing with Elsa to send a winning smile my way before shooting it to my unsuspecting dad when he reemerged from the kitchen. "Good to see you again, Mr. Crescent."

"Call me Ben." He cleared his throat, extending a stiff hand that Letti didn't hesitate to grasp. "Nice to see you again too."

A slightly sheepish giggle escaped her and she brought a hand up to push her hair behind her ear. "I wanted to thank you for inviting us to join you today. It was unexpected, but better than what we originally planned, right, Starfire?" Sapphire eyes slid over to where Elsa and I were watching with crossed arms an smug smirks on our faces. Seeing as they were very nearly blushing like teens and they had _yet_ to let go of the others hand.

"I-it's not a problem." My dad cleared his throat. "I usually make too much food."

 _And what am I? Chopped liver?!_ I inwardly thought when they shared a laugh, finally realizing they were still holding hands and broke away with subtle flushes on their cheeks. "You'd think the whole thing was my _dad's_ idea." I muttered under my breath to a quietly giggling Elsa.

"I can see where you get that stammer from." Elsa whispered back, slipping her hand under my arm to lead me away from the other two and I didn't hesitate to stick my tongue out at her.

"You love it though." I shot back quietly before calling over my shoulder. "While you two talk about cookbooks and whatnot, _we'll_ be in the living room." They were both good cooks, so I wasn't too worried about them. Instead, I took Elsa's hand, lifting it up until she spun and I pulled her back into my arms, swaying with her to the song that was playing in the background.

"Is this really okay?" Elsa asked, taking the lead and prompting me to spin so she could place herself behind me for a second until I spun around again. "We're not-" She sighed, slowing down and gently slipping her arms around me in a slow-dance position.

"Imposing?" I suggested. My arms wrapped around her neck, through those incredibly soft platinum blonde waves. "I wouldn't say that." I murmured. "My dad likes Letti. Probably more like a friend and I couldn't be mad either way he saw it."

"You're incredible." Elsa huffed against my ear. "And strong. I don't know if I'd be able to say something like that about _my_ dad."

A twinge presented itself in my chest. "My dad's been through a lot these last couple of years and he deserves it." I murmured against her. "And while it hurts me to hear you talk about your dad like you do, I can only speak for mine."

"I know, _Gattina._ " She pressed an apologetic kiss to my neck.

There was a pause before I added, "Did you know that I actually meant that it hurts me _because_ it hurts _you_ to talk about him?" It was my turn to gently nudge my temple against her jaw. "I don't like seeing you hurt." A kiss to her jaw and then another for good measure.

"I'm aware." She breathed. While she didn't say much about my first comment, I knew she was entirely grateful for it. (Just not the time to talk about it,lest we ruin the Christmas spirit.) "I've got an entire school that knows just what happens when you see me like that." Elsa's voice held a smile that rubbed off on me.

"Yeah. So whoever's bold enough to do it again had better be ready to answer to me." I pulled back to glare menacingly at her, causing her to lean in to kiss me. Only the kiss didn't last long at all because we were too busy smiling stupidly at each other. Until a laugh from Letti caused us to both look in the direction of the kitchen where it seemed like my dad was doing a good job of entertaining her. _Sweet._

"She needed this." Elsa turned back to me.

"They both did." I agreed. "Getting to spend Christmas in your arms is a major bonus, too."

"How romantic." She pursed her lips at me which I didn't hesitate to peck with my own. "But I can give you full credit for planning this out."

"Eh, I have a stroke of genius every once in awhile."

After a minute of us just swaying along to our own music, Elsa suddenly took a step back to hold my arms outward so she could look at what I was wearing. "Speaking of, can I just take a moment say how _ridiculous_ your shirt is?" Blue eyes filled with amusement, making me take my hands back so I could place them on my hips.

"Well, Elsa Mariani," My left hip popped to the side with some serious attitude. "I find _your_ lack of cheer disturbing." Quoting my long sleeved black shirt, Elsa brought a hand up to stifle her laughter. Said shirt had a handsome looking _Darth Vader_ dressed in parts of Santa's suit with some _Storm Troopers_ , snowflakes, and race pods in the background.

"Where did you even _find_ this?" Elsa's hands came up to pick at the material.

"That's a secret. But I can say that it was either this one or one with _Storm Troopers_ opening presents around a tree." I chuckled, but once I looked up, I could see such an amazing warmth in those icy blues that I felt my heart leap into fifth gear. It was the same look I caught myself giving her numerous times and that was: Lovesick. "I have a present for you." I said in a thick voice, knowing that if I kissed her then, _someone_ would walk in and ruin it.

"Me too." She replied, though I could see that she was fighting a bit.

"Mine first." I instantly grinned and pulled her along as I all but bolted up the stairs. Just after we turned the corner, I heard Oaken's thundering voice come through the door. _I knew it._ I thought with an inward smirk. _We definitely would've been caught by him. Again._

We stealthily slipped into my room where I closed the door behind me and once I did, I felt Elsa's arms wrap around me and a nose buried itself in my neck. Memory suddenly recalled the first time she did that and it made a wide smile stretch across my lips because she'd come so far from that moment of uncertainty to where she was now. There was no questioning my loyalty _or_ the fact that I didn't mind her wanting to be close to me at all times. _Adorable. Simply adorable._ My hands came up to gently pull her hands apart so I could turn to face her, lest I get caught up in the chills she was stirring in me.

"Don't you want your gift?" I asked innocently, sliding my arms back around her neck.

"Yes." She giggled and actually found the strength to step away while I stole a quick kiss before skipping over to my dresser.

"Now, I wasn't sure if I should have wrapped it or not." I began, not turning around until I felt her behind me again. "The lady offered, but the wrapper looked pretty lame, so I just left it." My fingers trailed along the side of the velvet and at the last second, I chose to open it up.

"I don't need fancy wrapping, _Gattina."_ There was a smile in her voice that had me spinning around to present the box to her on one knee like a cheesy dork. She froze over once her eyes beheld the contents and I couldn't wipe the almost hyper smile from my face if I tried. "Is that-" She was too breathless to finish.

"Snowflakes become you, my lovely." I replied, standing up to move closer so she could get a better look at the sterling silver necklace. "There were others, but this one is almost the same color as your gorgeous eyes. I was sold the moment I saw it." Were my added comments as I carefully removed it from its box.

"H-how did- how much-" Elsa stammered, eyes wide in shock now that it was fully in front of her.

"Don't worry about that." I stated quietly and didn't wait to get it around her neck, only just realizing how much it stood out against her enchanting skin and the elegant top she was wearing. Like it was made just for her and proud to be sitting right where it was. "Perfect." I stepped back, gesturing to the mirror behind me so she could have a look for herself.

"I don't even know what to say." She admitted. I watched those bright eyes as her hand came up to finger the topaz snowflake. "Thank you." Turning back to me, she immediately wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face in my neck with a shaky sigh. _"Ti amo."_ Her murmured words caused my stomach to flop and I brought my hands up to tighten our embrace.

"Me too." A tender kiss to her shoulder. "I love you too." When she pulled back a bit, I leaned further over to press a kiss directly on the snowflake. Without much more thought, my lips gently traced up the necklace until I veered off to open my mouth against her pulse point. Her hands twitched when I trailed more hot kisses up to that spot just under her ear, but before I could do anything else, she spoke up weakly.

"Y-you're going to clear away-" a low groan, "the cover up." Leaning back, I could see her biting on her lip, face flushed an attractive shade of pink and _sweet Odin,_ I forgot!

A small chuckle escaped as I moved upward to catch her lips instead. "Oh, yeah." Our lips brushed lightly at first and then deepened to the point where I was backed up into my dresser with Elsa pressed against me as an excited breath passed between us.

"We should stop." She murmured into my mouth, fingers playing with the hem of my shirt.

"Uh huh." I agreed half-heartedly just as my hands traveled down her delectable shoulder blades. "They might be wondering where we are." A gentle scratch right in the middle of her back made her arch slightly.

"Who?" Elsa bit into my lower lip, causing my eyes to roll heavenward.

"Santa Clause." I replied blankly and only then did Elsa let my lip go to place her forehead against mine with heated blue locked on teal.

"You're such a dork." She said around a crooked smile.

"You love it." I gave her a smug smirk.

"I do." She admitted, bringing her hand up to push my hair behind my ear.

"I thought you loved _me_." Giving her a mild pout, which she returned with a still smiling shake of her head.

"I love you too."

"Heh. Got you to say it in _English_."

The next words out of her mouth were in Italian and she didn't hesitate to pinch me in a place I never expected her to.

"O-ow!" I yelped with a blush heating my face up while Elsa didn't bother to stifle her laughter.

* * *

 _A/N: *snickers* I lied about trying to shorten this one, but if I'm right...y'all didn't mind it whatsoever, right? Maybe? (I'm just trying to move the story along.) Even Elsa's getting a bit more daring..._  
 _Side note: In one of my other stories there was supposed to be a sparring scene that I never got to, so I thought it would be fun to do one here^^_

 _Anyway, I hope you liked it! Thank you for reading, your enthusiasm, and support too._

 _(Ah, yes! To the Anonny that asked if I was Latin American? I am not. But I do get that a lot.)_

 _Tootles~_


	34. Everything Stays

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Warning! Warning! Contains content that might make some of you uncomfortable. Proceed with caution.**  
(A/N: I haven't used one of these before, but I thought I should put one up just in case.)

* * *

13:39.

It happened so suddenly.

I had just got done walking the Glee Club through one of the numbers they were going to do for regionals and was currently on my way to the restrooms closest to the boardroom because I was going to bother the love of my life a little before the next class. (A few days ago there was an incident involving one of our teachers having an affair with a student, so while they tried to find a replacement for her, there was a sub in that class that didn't really have anything for us to do in the meantime. Naturally, _I_ had better things to do that hour so I got a pass to help the Glee Club out.) Anyway, the Gleeks were doing fairly well, having won sectionals last month, but they still needed my help and how was I _not_ supposed to pass up a boring class of reading for one that included dancing?

 _Oh yeah. Good deal._ They'd decided to do a performance that showed their top dancers off and I had been working exclusively with the two when the rest began packing up. Seeing as I still had over _just_ eight minutes before the next bell rang, I decided to take my leave with a 'see y'all later' and received gratitude pats from Aladdin, Tiana, Wendy and Peter before slipping out the door. As I sauntered down the hall, I suddenly chose to turn back around to stop by my locker so I could get my bag. (That way I wouldn't have to run back out of the boardroom to get it later.)

With my bag now on my shoulder, I continued my trip to the place Elsa had found herself a lot lately. I swear, that girl only had _three_ required classes to actually attend, seeing as one was an English class that she needed and the others were a college classes. Other than that, she was usually keeping busy in the boardroom. And since it was after lunch, I knew she was relatively done for the day, leading me to slip in a few extra minutes with her.

I was nearly there when I heard the first one.

 _ **POW!**_

Flinching slightly, I instantly looked around for the noise that caused my heart to jump with wide eyes. _Wh-_

 _ **POP!**_

A scream and and the sound of footsteps retreating down the hall.

 _ **CRACK!**_

That second blast made my basic instincts snap together, that third caused me to crouch in fear and I wasted no time in ducking into the restroom instinctively because it was closest to me. My heart hammered in my chest, but I ignored it to quickly skid into a stall and lock the door behind me. _Wh-what the heck?!_ My brain yelled in horror as all around outside the restroom door, I could hear people clamoring, shouting, running, and other doors closing for the next couple of seconds until everything went deathly quiet. Except for my heavy breathing.

Logic told me that it couldn't have been what I thought it was, but the atmosphere, my gut, _everything_ else screamed at me that it had indeed been gunshots that I'd heard. _Holy crap!_ Gulping down my sudden anxiety, I lifted myself up to stand on the bowl while I shakily brought out my phone. _Was that what I think it was? What am I going to do? What if the restroom is where they come to hide? What if they shoot me?!_ I successfully forced my brain to shut up and pulled up a group message for Kida, Kristoff, and Olaf. _'Are you guys okay?'_ I could barely see the screen through all the shaking my hands were doing. _Breathe._

Olaf: _What's going on? They just shut off the lights and told us to hush?_

Kristoff: _We're okay. Still in Rivera's. Kida left her phone in her bag, but she's right here with me._

I blew out a semi-relieved breath. _'Alright, that's good to hear. And I don't know what's going on either.'_ That was a lie, but I didn't have the strength to write out a long message and if I did, they would ask me for my location. I couldn't have that.

Olaf: _Anna. Where are you?_

Crap. I swallowed thickly through my shallow breathing.

Kristoff: _Please please tell me you're still with the Gleeks._

Olaf: _You're not with Kris and Kida?! Gleeks? Where are you then? What about Elsa?_

Just then, I grit my teeth in annoyance. At myself. Because _why_ wasn't I with Elsa right now? _'I'm okay. Don't worry.'_ I sent anyway, making my head thump softly against the wall behind me as thoughts of my cowardice began to plague my mind.

Kristoff: _Where the hell are you, Anna?!_

Kristoff: _You'd better not be out in the halls or the janitor's closet! I'll kick your ass!_

I knew that last text was from Kida, but as the seconds continued to drag by at a snails pace filled with poisonous gas, I suddenly grew more anxious. _'I'm not outside. I told you I'm fine.'_ My hands were viciously shaky, but when there was another _thud_ out in the hall followed by more sounds of running and I all but lost it, having to bite into my lip to keep from screaming my heart out. _WHAT THE HELL?!_ Once it got quiet again, I then took a breath that wasn't calming at all and ignored the taste of blood in my mouth as I quickly pulled up Elsa's name. _'Snow Paw aré 6ou OK/?'_

Snow Paw: _Anna! I'm alright. Where are you?_

Her reply was instant, leaving me just a bit more relieved knowing she had her phone with her. Also knowing that she was ultimately safe had my texts spelled a little better. For now. _'I'm okay. Worried about you more.'_

Olaf: _WHERE ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!_

Kristoff: _O, we can't give away our positions._

Kristoff: _Shooters have Smartphones too, so TAKE IT EASY!_

A determined, yet fearful huff left me as I strained my ear to hear any other sort of sounds coming from out there. _'They're right, O. I'll be fine. I promise.'_

Kristoff: _Don't do anything stupid!_

Snow Paw: _Please tell me you're safe in a classroom, Anna._

 _They all know me too well._ I thought through the pounding in my chest. _'Are you alone, Snow Paw?'_ Everything in my body was screaming at me to just shut up and stay right where I was, but I just couldn't leave Elsa by herself. If she said she was, I was immediately filled with resolve to get to her. Regardless that I wanted nothing more than to disappear like they could in movies.

Snow Paw: _No. You can't. I won't have you wandering the halls._

Stepping down from the toilet, I swallowed thickly and listened once more to the silent hallways. _'Baby, unlock the door. I'll be there in less than a minute.'_

Snow Paw: _PLEASE don't be stupid, Anna!_

Unbeknownst to myself, I felt something hot roll down my cheeks and only when I sniffled, did I realize how completely _terrified_ I was. A quiet sob choked through me, making me furiously wipe at my face so I could send a message. _'Unlock the door, Sweetheart. I need to be there with you.'_ My hands started shaking all over again.

Kristoff: _Hey, talk to us and don't just say you're fine._

Olaf: _Anna, you're scaring me._

Placing my phone back in my pocket and with a trembling hand I quietly unlocked my own door to ever so slowly inch out until I was by the door. _I'm so stupid._ I thought as I wiped my eyes again. _I should have gone there first!_ The fact that the boardroom was just off one of the main hallways, leaving whoever opened to it had an ugly dread fall over me. For one: if the shooter was right down the hall, there would be no hiding and I would be...

Just the thought was paralyzing enough to make my knees buckle. _And I just told Elsa to unlock the door._ My stomach lurched and I feared I would puke my guts up. _IDIOT!_ But now I _knew_ I needed to get to the boardroom first because if someone else came by, she would more than likely think it was me and be utterly vulnerable to them. Unacceptable. A sniffle left my nose and I forced down my utter hesitation so I could at least push open the door to carefully peer out. It might have been one of the most ridiculously stupid things I'd ever done in my life, but I couldn't stop.

I needed to get to Elsa.

The halls were eerily silent save for my gentle footfalls and the sound of the fabric of my clothes as I stayed low to the floor. _One door. Janitor's closet._ Tears blurred my vision and I wasted no time in wiping them again when my destination came into view. Somewhere down the hall, I heard another noise that caused my knees to buckle once more and I faltered in my steps, ducking down with my heart in my throat. _Crap, crap, crap! What if it's them?_ Forcing my brain to shut up, I inched along on rubber legs, ears ringing uncomfortably, body shaking with an ugly mixture of adrenaline and straight up _fear_ , but I got there.

The door was unlocked.

As soon as I turned the knob, the door disappeared from my vision and a hand darted out to yank me in with such force that I felt like my brain had been left out there. The door closed behind me again and I heard the sound of the knob locking before I was practically shoved toward the huge desk at the front of the dark classroom. When I came to a stop in front of Elsa's chair, I was hastily tugged down and immediately found my nose buried in familiar platinum blonde waves.

"You idiot!" Elsa's voice was a shattered whisper that broke off in a choked sob. She was just as scared as I was.

"I-I-I'm sorry." I blurted numbly, having not used my voice in what felt like forever. Seriously just a while ago I was laughing with Wendy and Peter! "I'm s-so sorry, Elsa." My hands came up to tangle in her hair and I felt the damn break all over again. "I'm sorry." I kept at it as more tears fell from my eyes at the realization of what I'd just done. _How can I be so damn stupid?!_ Elsa's hands dug into my sides along with her face in my neck and we spent a few seconds just sitting there crying into each other.

"...it's okay, _Gattina._ " She whispered thickly. "We're okay." Her words soothed me, making me blow out a harsh shuddering breath. Elsa was right. We were there in each others' arms now. Safe. _It's okay._

And then there were more footfalls that made my eyes pop open. Elsa's arms tightened and when the doorknob suddenly rattled, I felt her entire body tense up around me since it was _she_ that was straddling my legs. My heart stopped, but I didn't hesitate to clamp onto Elsa. Whoever it was trampled further down to unsuccessfully try another door and when another suddenly slammed loudly enough to echo down all the hallways, Elsa gasped. "Shh-shh." I whispered, adjusting myself to hold onto her better. Truthfully, I was scared out of my mind, but since I had Elsa there with me, I felt my utter protectiveness for her kick in and that allowed me to return the comfort she'd just given me. "I'm here." My arms tightened around her waist again. "Nobody is going to hurt you, Snow Paw. Not while I'm around."

"I love you, Anna." Elsa's voice held such a heavy tremor that it forced more tears out of my eyes. Out there, the halls went silent again, but that did nothing for either of us because we were still shaken up from that last incident.

"I love you more." I murmured softly, giving her another comforting squeeze before a sudden vibration in my pocket caused her to jump and almost let out a frightened scream. Luckily, she caught herself and I didn't hesitate to capture her mouth with mine. "I'm sorry. That's probably the others." Easing her back a little, I kept an arm around her waist and brought out my phone for us to see.

Kristoff: _Anna L Crescent answer us! What the heck is happenning?!_

Kristoff: _I AM SERIOUSLY GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!_

Olaf: _PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE OKAY!_

Instead of me using my one hand to text back, Elsa took it from me and wrote a message while I wrapped my arm back around her protectively. _'Guys, it's Elsa. Anna's right here with me and we're fine.'_

Kristoff: _HOLY CRAP THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR! Tell her I'm still going to tear her hair out when I see her!_

Kristoff: _You really need to give us your number, Mariani._

Olaf: _Thanks for giving me a heartattack guys! Really._

Despite the situation, Elsa let out a soft chuckle before showing me their responses. Shaking my head, I then leaned back so I could wipe her face free of tears with my sleeves. "Did you tell your mom?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah." She replied, sniffling as my thumbs caressed under her beautiful eyes. "You?"

"I didn't get the chance to." After I said that, she pulled up my dad's name. "Tell him what's happening and that we're okay." Another unprecedented sob escaped her and I could see her hands shaking. Actually, she was shaking quite a lot, her face was a little paler than normal and it didn't even sound like she was breathing. It just suddenly looked as if she was utterly ready to flip out and I couldn't have that. "Baby, you need to breathe." I informed her gently as I wiped my own cheeks with a sniffle.

"I am." She kept her eyes away from mine. When my phone suddenly clattered away from us with her biting back a heavy sob, I shifted again and ever so gently let my arms loosen from around her. If what I thought was happening to her was true, then I wasn't sure how she would respond to me touching her so freely and I wasn't about to push it when there was still a potential threat out there.

"I know you're scared, love." I whispered tenderly, hoping she wouldn't try to scamper away. "But you're safe with me." Keeping my arms where they were, I tried to look into her eyes, even trying to lean over to peer into them. "I'm going to let go of you, okay?" Only when she gave her approval did I reach back around so I could get my water bottle out of my bag and once I did, I slowly presented it to her. "Can you breathe for me, Snow Paw?"

Instead of taking a breath, she reached for the water bottle and took a nice, long drink that made me let out a calming sigh. _Okay, good._ "I'm going to move your legs, okay?" I tried to keep my voice soft, yet sturdy enough for her to listen and it seemed to work until I felt her already tense body stiffen further.

"W-where are you going?" She asked quickly, eyes widening in fear and I thought I saw a trace of sweat on her brow.

 _Great. Fix it!_ I shook my head. "Nowhere, pretty girl. I'm not going anywhere." Without waiting for her other answer, I carefully placed my hands on her ankles before urging them out from under her so she could wrap her legs around my hips. "You're safe right here with me." I reassured her and then began to lean back in for a hug which she didn't refuse. "Breathe, baby. You gotta remember to breathe." Without prompting her to, I decided to take deep breaths myself until she matched my rhythm. "Just like that." I pressed a loving kiss to her temple. "We'll get through this, Elsa Mariani." My voice held a certain sternness that surprised me a bit because I was just as afraid as she was, but I wasn't about to let her freak out on me. _That's the voice I was looking for._

After ten or more deep breaths, I heard just a little more strength in her voice. "I like the way this looks on you." She suddenly leaned back so she could finger the necklace hiding under my button up shirt. The small action of her focusing on something else at the moment seemed to have calmed her substantially, so I went with that and let her pull it the rest of the way out. Anything to help settle her down. I silently watched as her slightly shaky fingers lift the sword on the tip of the silver necklace higher up so she could examine it closer.

She was breathing regularly again, but there were still visible tears. "Did you know you can unsheathe the sword?" I asked with a small grin. Icy blue orbs that were outlined in red met mine and I ran my thumbs under her eyes again before my own fingers came down to unhook the small clamp, making her jaw drop when the golden sheath slid right off. "I guess that's what the little chain is for."

"I was just so excited to give it to you that I didn't even bother touching it." Elsa chuckled breathlessly.

Memories of Christmas instantly filled my mind with vivid clarity. I could remember the way she smelt, the amazing taste of her still lingering on my tongue, the soft blush she still had from my kissing her neck, the love in her eyes, the way her shirt and skin felt in my hands. I also recalled the way she'd reacted to meeting the few members of my family, the little ways her face lit up in awe or shock when Ragnar told her stories of his latest adventure of climbing Mt. Everest, the soft caring look she got when Amber spoke of her baby's movements in her stomach, the honey coated laugh when Leah's super, mature jokes got out of hand, the fear of meeting my grandparents (which wasn't bad at all) and just the overall look of gratefulness to have been able to participate in it all. I remembered everything about her. _Just in case..._

Initially she'd been a little nervous at first to give me my gift, since I already got her a necklace for Christmas, but once I saw the sword, I all but tackled her in a hug. I could barely believe that she'd thought to buy me something as awesome and fitting as a sword necklace. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and now it was mine and there was nothing more I could ask for from her. (Maybe a few kisses that got interrupted by the doorbell, but that was besides the point.) I just knew I loved my necklace and it almost never left my neck. Elsa's necklace was always present too. Unlike mine, which hung a little lower into my cleavage, hers fell just under her collarbones so it was a lot more visible when she loosened her tie and to say that the sight of its presence drove me absolutely wild whenever I saw it would have been a big understatement. Elsa was mine.

 _And I'm not about to let anything bad happen to you._ "So we've been walking around for a couple of weeks now and you never questioned it?" I asked around a quiet chuckle, nearly forgetting all about the lock down and possible dangers just outside the door and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You're an odd one." Was my added comment, making her sniffle before sending me a crooked grin.

"Well, I couldn't just go digging around in your shirts to see for myself."

"I would have understood."

We both smiled shakily at each other before we both leaned in for a kiss that ended with us embracing once again. A shiver ran through her body and I heard the quiet sob she released. " _Mami_ left my dad because she caught him cheating on her." She whispered. My arms tightened around her. I honestly wasn't at all prepared for a sudden confession, but I wasn't about to stop her. Not now. "It was so devastating to her that she told me he left her for some stupid little Tween and I just didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to talk about him and the fact that he didn't even feel the need to apologize for hurting the both of us." Another trembling breath. "But I never said anything about it. I kept it all in while I spent weeks trying to help get _mami_ back on her feet and when she suddenly decided to take her hurt out on me, I ran away."

"That day at the mall." I nodded, remembering like it was yesterday. It was actually a little creepy that I could recall all of these memories with stunning clarity. My next thought had me forcing myself to listen to Elsa and not what the movies said about having your life flash before your eyes before you kick the bucket.

"I don't hate them." She sniffled again. "My parents." I nodded in understanding. "While it's true that it'll take me awhile to really forgive my dad for what he did to _mami_ , to me, I just can't find the strength to hate him. No matter how much I want to."

"He's your dad. Whether you like it or not." I nuzzled into her neck. I was aware of the many times he'd tried to get in contact with Elsa and when she actually gave in for once, she came right back from spending the day with him claiming that she wouldn't be visiting again anytime soon. While she didn't talk about what happened with him, I figured he did something else to scar her, but that time I was there to help her heal a little faster. My opinions about the guy changed rather quickly after that.

"I guess I just wanted to tell him that. You know," she took another shuddering breath. "In case we don't make it out of here." As soon as she said that, she took her phone out and sent the text, I noticed, she'd already typed out to him.

My hands slid back to rub comforting circles in her back. "We'll make it out, Snow Paw." I pulled back to give her a stern look. "And then he can continue to try to see you while you keep him at arms length until you're ready. Until her finally apologizes for hurting the both of you."

A soft sigh came from her. "I thought you'd be on his side, honestly." Elsa wiped her own eyes, making me reach up to remove her hands from her enchanting eyes so I could gaze into them.

"I'm always on your side, Elsa." I kissed both her cheeks. "I thought I was very clear about not liking the people who hurt you." Murmuring into her shoulder with another kiss to it. "That declaration counts for personal life too. And I don't know much about your dad so I'm even less inclined to give my opinions, but I know _you_ and if you're uncomfortable with him, then I won't force you to try to do something your don't want to."

" _A-Anna._ " That gorgeous face of hers broke again as her fingers gripped my jacket. " _Sei così buona con me e io ti amo tantissimo per questo."_ Her next words were in Italian, but I could feel the obvious warmth, love, and gratitude behind her words and that made me sniffle too before closing the distance between our lips. Just then there was a noise down the hall that sounded like someone shouting that had us freeze on the spot and listen in with our hearts in our throats all over again. All at once the chills were back along with the fear as more called out.

But it wasn't a student's voice.

 _"ALL CLEAR!"_ Whoever it was sounded closer to the boardroom door. " _All clear!"_ Others echoed further down the hall.

* * *

Later. 14:12.

Elsa's hand stayed in mine while her other one gripped my sleeve as well. On my other side, stood Kristoff with his massive arm around us and mine around his waist with Olaf under his other arm. Kida was on Elsa's other side with one of her arms linked under hers and the other around her waist as we all silently watched the police officers comb through each and every one of our lockers. They ultimately found a few things worthy of Weselton's attention, such as: some spray paint, a couple of lighters, a suspicious looking water bottle, and a few other things that would promote a trip to his office. But other than that, they had nothing else.

Nothing but a short assembly at the outside gym that shut the school down afterwards.

* * *

Another few days later. Lunch.

"Have they interviewed you yet?" Kida asked as she put her lunch down beside me.

"Yeah." I absently nibbled on a french fry, not feeling like eating whatsoever. "Said I didn't know anything." It pissed me off like no other because they just treated the whole thing so callously, saying things that sounded like they'd practiced it a thousand times until it turned monotonous and basically heartless in my opinion. _How could they possibly have known what he was going though?_ How could _any_ of us had known?

Still. They didn't have to romanticize suicide for me. There was enough of that online.

"How's Elsa taking it?" Olaf asked next, reaching over to grasp my hand comfortingly. I didn't need to answer him because I felt a warmth beside me that made a ghost of a smile tug at my lips.

"Elsa's taking it just fine." Said girl sat right next to me with almost no space between us. "How about the rest of you?"

"I heard the shooter was a sophomore that came on the van with the other kids from that foster home on Central." Kristoff hadn't even touched his lunch. "He'd been bullied and sent Smoot to the hospital before shooting h-" shoving his hand through his hair, he didn't bother to finish and instead stood up to leave. Olaf let go of my hand, not hesitating to follow after him and the scene caused my heart to clench painfully.

"So it _is_ true?" Kida turned to us with wide eyes. Keeping my gaze straight ahead, I nodded solemnly.

"His name was Colt Henderson." My voice quivered, making Elsa take hold of my hand to grip it firmly. Anger suddenly presented itself in my mind along with the psychobabble the counselor and officers tried to comfort me with. Colt Henderson was a human. Not some sort of experiment gone wrong. And the fact that he finally snapped in the gym... "I-I know Coach has a mouth on him, but I never thought _anyone_ would be destroyed enough by the guy to actually _shoot_ him." A harsh gust of breath left my mouth and my vision got blurry. "A-and then to go and shoot himself..." I couldn't take it. _It was such a mistake to come to school this week._

"I-I'm sorry, Anna." Kida called after me as I followed the other two out.

* * *

That night.

"I'm so sorry, Panda." Tears filled my dad's eyes as he cuddled me to him. We'd been talking half the night after I joined him in his bed because I couldn't sleep and just didn't want to be alone. "But know that you _are_ loved. I know this is incredibly eye-opening and you'll be hurting for awhile, but I love you." He wiped his nose. "You're my precious little girl and I don't ever want you thinking you can't tell me something. Don't hide anything from me, please."

My insides clenched along with my grip around his shoulders. "I love you too, dad." I whimpered. "So much. And I won't. I can't keep anything from you." _That's a promise._ More tears drained from my eyes and quiet sobs shook through my body, but he was there. Crying with me, yet so firm. His strong heart thumped against my ear. Sturdy. My anchor in the sudden storm I'd found myself in after hearing the full story of the shooting.

While I was getting interviewed, they tried telling me that Colt had no friends, no one to talk to, how they didn't know where he got the gun, and other junk that couldn't process in my mind. I didn't understand why they decided to tell me those things either. _It doesn't mean that he DIDN'T want help!_ I thought with clenched fists. Maybe he didn't want everyone to know he was a feeling that way, but that didn't exactly mean that he didn't want _someone_ to know. It was illogical to think like that, but who could blame him? Anyone with those thoughts? On the other hand, Colt didn't need all the woes of the internet to ultimately aid him, if not, he simply needed to know he was at least loved.

I could understand how hard it would have been to get out of those tendencies because you live one way so long that something new feels strange and scary...but it could have been worth it.

 _I just wish I knew._

* * *

Home. Saturday.

Rooftop after rooftop, I found myself smoothing along after two other players that had glowing green and purple symbols over them. We jumped, climbed, dove, balanced, basically parkoured all over the place until something caught my eye and I slowed my chasing after the other two so I could turn back around. While the green and purple dots disappeared behind a chimney, I was too busy backtracking to see a cat on the roof with me. As I approached it, it let out a soft _meow_ that had me smiling regardless that it was in a game.

"I thought you were allergic to cats." A softly accented voice said from behind me followed by a warmth around my sides as she settled with me between her legs.

"I am." I replied, not hesitating to relax into her as she wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her chin on my shoulder. "But _he_ isn't." Gesturing to the clothed darkly dressed assassin on the screen. Elsa huffed in amusement and I felt her move away to press a kiss to the top of my head. Her whispered Italian after made me return her chuckle before pausing the game so I could lay my head back on her shoulder.

" _You're_ adorable." I taunted, playfully nipping at her jaw.

" _Ugh!_ I swear you two can be so darn sappy sometimes." Kida complained from my left, having been lounging on the floor a foot away from me reading one of her newest obsessions.

"Jealous?" I sent an empty smirk her way.

"You wish." She scoffed and then turned on her side, facing away from us with her book once again pressed to her nose.

"So, can you understand what she's saying?" Olaf wasn't ashamed in his staring at us and only barked out a laugh when Kristoff threw his half eaten doughnut at him.

"Don't be a pest." He then stretched out and purposefully landed his legs on my shins. Elsa giggled when I slapped them away. "My turn for _Free Roam_!" When Kristoff reached for the controller, I gave it to him without complaint.

"Knock yourself out." I told him and then turned to Olaf. "And I understand _some_ words, but her language is pretty challenging to learn." And it was. I spent some nights trying to put words together with the _Googles_ , but in the end it all came out sounding entirely like something else and I would rather tell Elsa things in English rather than have her laugh at me.

"Didn't we have an Italian teacher once upon a time?" He asked next, shifting to the side of the couch.

"Mr. Criss." I nodded. "But it turns out that he wasn't even fit to teach the language properly so he got in some trouble before ending up being a history teacher somewhere else instead."

"How?"

"He probably switched with someone else." I shrugged. _Like I know about all the teachers._ Although, thinking about that had me automatically thinking about Coach. He was alive. Which was amazing because he got shot in the chest.

Colt's funeral was held out of state in his hometown and once that was done, his family moved back there, so no one could really give their condolences if they wanted to. The rest of us just tried to move past it, but there was just something off. Something eerie about the school now. Like our innocence was taken from us and it didn't help that there were cameras and metal detectors set up now.

 _It could have been worse._ A little voice told me and I agreed. Whereas some schools suffered terrible massacres, ours was between two people and I was _so_ thankful that there weren't more lying in the hospital right now. Possibly the morgue. _But that doesn't take the chill of the gym away._ That was where it happened, so for the rest of the year, we were to use the old gym and there was someone else there in Coach's place too.

"While on the subject of languages," Kida flipped back over to grin at me, wrenching me from my unending thoughts back to the present. "Don't you know some Spanish?"

"No." It was my turn to scoff. "All I know is English and _bad_ English." _They're here with you. FOR you. The least you can do is have some fun with them before they have to go._ I tried to force my dull energy away and dig for some that usually came so easily to me. I needed to _smile_ at least.

"I won't believe it. I've heard you singing along to _Selena_ on your iPod." Sky blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.

"Just because I _sing_ in the language doesn't mean I know what it all means." I felt Elsa's hands flex against my stomach. "For all I know I could be singing about a sandwich." A wry chuckle fell out of my mouth that had those hands leave in search of my hands and once they found them, she wrapped our arms securely around me. Elsa knew me well enough to know when I was faking it.

"Like that's a bad thing." It was Olaf's turn to chuckle. "But you should try. I dare you."

"Yeah. And then we'll check and see what the song translates to." Kristoff turned around to smirk at us.

"No way." I shook my head and then snuggled deeper into Elsa's embrace, wanting nothing more than to sneak her away so we could be alone. _And you'll be able to have a clear mind then?_ My jaw flexed in slight annoyance with myself. _Doesn't hurt to try._

"It doesn't have to be all in Spanish." Kida was suddenly on her feet and trying to pull me from Elsa. I instantly growled at her and even Elsa reached out to hold me right where I was, making Kida raise a curious brow at us.

"Not in the mood." I muttered. I hadn't been in the mood for awhile, but they were more than ready to help me back out of the funk I'd fallen into. That was very clear.

"We just want to see you dance and smile." Olaf suddenly slipped onto the floor before draping himself over our legs like a lazy puppy.

"I don't think Elsa knows the dance." A better hint of a smile crossed my lips when a small scoff sounded from above me.

"I might not be able to sing, but I think I can keep up with you, _Gattina._ " Her sweet voice fell into my hair, causing me to pout.

"Not you too, Snow Paw." I groaned.

"You don't back down from dares, remember?" She cooed, hands coming up to brush my bangs aside as I glare up at her. When her full lips pressed to my nose, my face fell and I let out a low growl before dragging myself up.

"Fine."

* * *

"Okay, I don't think I can keep up with you." Elsa whispered sheepishly as the song opened up. And electronic intro came out of the speakers and when the lights dimmed (thanks to Olaf and his theatricality,) I found myself actually a little nervous. The loud cheers from the other two weren't helping much either. "It's just us." She gave me a peck before stepping back from me.

 _"'Cómo puede ser verdad?'"_

I started, regardless that I wasn't feeling it. _But if they want a show...I can try, at least._ The beat picked up and while the song wasn't exactly karaoke version, they couldn't care less.

"' _Last night I dreamt of San Pedro. Just like I'd never gone, I knew the song.'"_

Taking a few calm steps forward, I let my eyes stare straight ahead as little tremors shook through my body. _Whoa. That's weird._ I snapped out of it so the song didn't start my favorite part without me.

 _"'Young girl with eyes like the desert. It all seems like yesterday not far away,'"_

Elsa sauntered up to me then and once we made eye contact, it felt as if something just clicked in me. Our hands touched, causing a more commanding shock to jolt through me. Oh, I was awake now, but something was still missing.

 _"'Tropical, the island breeze. All of nature wild and free this is where I long to be. La Isla Bonita.'"_

Elsa's addicting voice joined in under mine for the chorus and I swear I felt the fire ignite in me as we spun around each other like it was second nature to us, like we did a session of _Salsa_ dancing every day.

 _"'And when the samba played, the sun would set so high, ring through my ears and sting my eyes. Your Spanish lullaby.'"_

Spinning me around, Elsa let go of me so I could walk (in more confidence than before) forward to sing the next part that would have originally been sung by someone else, but since the dare was for _me_ , I chose to do it all.

 _"'I fell in love with San Pedro. Warm wind carried on the sea, he called to me: Tedijo te amo. I prayed that the days would last, they went so fast.'"_

Again Elsa and I were stepping, spinning all over the place and moving our hips in sync. And she was singing with me. I swear I suddenly felt like myself again when we ended up moving from side to side together with the others staring at us avidly. A wide grin split my face as I again stepped away from leaning against Elsa.

 _"'Yo quiero estar donde el sol toca el cielo. Cuando es hora de siesta tú los puedes ver pasar.'"_

As my arms raised, Elsa came up behind me until her chin was nearly resting on my shoulder again and it blew my mind to hear her singing the next part with me.

 _"'Caras tan bellas sin importar nada. Where a girl loves a boy and a boy loves a girl.'_

That fire I'd felt before seemed to consume me as we joined hands, took a step back and then pulled each other in where I reached behind me to switch our hands as I turned. Once I was there, Elsa brought my other arm up and wrapped our arms around my head while the other joined ones slid down. In one smooth motion, all four arms fell around me and while I swayed my hips around, those arms slithered back off of me until we were grinning stupidly at each other from a step away.

There was still more to the song, but I didn't care. I wanted the love of my life's luscious lips right then and nothing sure of a tornado was going to stop me.

"Aw, get a room!" Kida groaned again.

"Don't say that! They might take you seriously." Olaf whispered, earning a few hard 'thumps' that made him yelp in pain.

"Just when it was getting good too." Kristoff added for fun.

Somewhere behind us, the song continued to play, the others went back to talking and laughing with each other while Elsa and I were busy locking eyes.

"Good to have you back, _Gattina._ " She whispered before placing a loving kiss to my forehead. "I missed you." Another kiss to my nose. "That smile." One to both my eyes. "Your laugh." A chaste kiss to my lips before a sniffle left her nose. "Your eyes." Her own were welled up with gentle tears, making mt reach up to wipe them away.

And she had good reason to too. Ever since the incident at school, I'd been trapped in a daze. I wasn't quite sure how victims of PTSD acted, but I swear everything made me jumpy and I couldn't help feeling like the school was utterly haunted. It wasn't hard to think that way, honestly and the fact that I felt like I was walking around as a shell of myself had them all worried to the point where I was never left alone until they eventually needed to go home themselves. Of course it had affected all of us and had gotten Kristoff the first few days, but he was fortunate enough to have put it behind him faster than I did.

I had no real idea why it had affected me like it did. Sadly, I didn't even know Colt, but I knew Coach and I also knew that I wouldn't _ever_ wish something like that on anyone. Maybe it affected me because it happened so close to home?

" _Ti amo._ " Elsa whispered, prompting me to kiss her back.

"I love you more." I replied against her lips. She suddenly gasped in surprise as I spun us around, dipped her low like one of those cheesy movies before sealing my mouth over hers again. Behind us, I heard the clicks of cameras under all the cheering and catcalls that erupted.

Whatever the answer, I knew I wasn't alone and I was eternally grateful that I had my group of friends. I also knew I was appreciative of the life I had and the other countless people in it. All I'd gone through and would eventually go through, all I fought for, lost, gained, built, it was all worth it and I could ask for nothing more.

And maybe that was the answer.

 _'Everything stays right where you left it.  
Everything stays, but it still changes.  
Ever so slightly.  
Daily and nightly.  
In little ways.  
When everything stays._'

* * *

 _A/N2: *wheeew!* I have no further comments._

 _Thank you for reading._

 _Tootles~_


	35. Something Stupid

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _'Just let it go, don't want to argue anymore. I can't be sure I know just what we're fighting for. I know you're scared and that you're thinking I may go. I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving...'_

"No, no, no, _CRAP!_ " Reaching through the suffocating smoke, I barely managed to get the tray out before a piercing alarm sounded all around me. "For crying out loud." I muttered, letting the pan crash loudly into the sink, I scrambled to cover the closest smoke detector before the fire department was alerted too. _No need to make dad rush home now._ Once that one was sated, I barely managed to _not_ complete an idiot circle and rushed for the other one in the hall with another wet rag.

"Why did I think I could do this?" My words fell on no ears but my own as I slid back into the kitchen to get the burnt pan out of the sink so it wouldn't possibly scar anything around it. Or I would have if I'd anticipated the flour all over the floor. Instead, I sped right by the pan and in a last attempt to at least slow my momentum down, I frantically tried to grab the island, only to tip the newer bowl of ingredients over. On myself. " _AAHHH!"_ In a flash, I was flat on my back, in mild pain, with the traitorous bowl casually rolling away from me like it hadn't just clocked me good in the face either. _Ow!_ A stinging sensation caused my body to pulsate from the shock of the rest of the pain that followed and I felt my eyes begin to water from it, but I knew I wasn't about to cry. _This ain't my first rodeo._

"Anna?"

 _'And if you're thinking I might, I might be lead astray, just remember this one question: What if I was nothing? What if this is true? What if I was nothing, girl? Nothing without you? So what if I was angry, what did you think I'd do? I told you that I love you, girl, I'm nothing without you...'_

I loved the song, but I couldn't very well just lie there in a mess. No matter how much I wanted to right then. " _Ugh-!_ " I groaned loudly before turning on my side to spit out the mouthful of flour and egg that wanted to find itself in my stomach somehow. Also followed by light coughing and sniffling since the air had been knocked out of my lungs from the fall and my body was still trying to convince me that I wanted to cry. "Oh, that was _not_ cool." A sneezing fit then consumed me and I wasted no time in trying to wipe my face off before I continued sneezing my head off for the rest of the day. As for the tears, they stopped once I reminded myself that it was usually not fun to be hit in the face by anything and that it'd happened more often than not. I had a small scar on my nose as proof.

Proof that inanimate objects just _loved_ to attack me!

"Anna!"

My eyes suddenly popped open in horror at that voice and I shot up like I'd just been injected with a bolt of lightening. I'm pretty sure it was at a superhuman speed because when I actually got to my feet, I had to grasp the counter top to keep from falling over again. "H-hey, Snow Paw." I coughed heavily once more, still waving lingering smoke away. "Uh- h-how'd you get in here?" _Guess opening some windows couldn't have hurt._

 _'...so what if I was angry, what did you think I'd do? I told you that I love you, girl, I'm nothing without you.'_

Blue eyes were too busy looking around like she'd walked in on a crime scene to answer me right away, so I did my best to continue dusting myself off. True: she did walk into a crime scene and _I_ was the murderer. _As I'm standing here covered from head to toe in flour and eggs. Further evidence in the sink that calls for a body bag._ Another handful of tiny sneezes erupted once I foolishly patted my chest and a new bout of flour blew right up my nose. " _Bleh-_ if there was a time to laugh your head off at me, _this_ is probably it." I told her while rubbing my nose to hopefully stop the next ambush of sneezes that might get forced without my knowledge again.

"I-" Elsa was still in shock, but her eyes finally tore away from the sink and counter tops to search around in my eyes for something unseen by me. " _G-Gattina,_ you're bleeding." She suddenly rushed over, carefully avoiding whatever mess she could until she got to my side.

"What?" I snorted, but felt something hot slide down my cheek and my first instinct was to wipe it away. "Nah, that's most likely just an annoying tear. That bowl popped me pretty good." Trying to wave her off, I failed to see that my fingers were coated in a red substance until she caught my wrist and pointedly held my hand in my line of vision. "Oh." I cleared my throat awkwardly.

There were no words as she lead me out of the kitchen and up to my bathroom. "Sit." She ordered, pointing to the toilet and I didn't hesitate to plop myself down without protest after closing the lid. Examining my messy (now bloody too) hands, I avoided eye-contact and thought over just how I'd gone down in the kitchen. It wasn't that bad and could have been easily avoidable, but for some reason, I'd managed to get knocked around still. _I'm even bleeding!_ Before I could bring my hand up to wipe at my cheek again, Elsa was there to stop my hand. "I knocked a few times, but no one answered and the door was unlocked." Her voice had an edge to it that had me more focused on that than the pain she was inflicting on the cut itself. _Not yet. I don't want to deal with it yet._

"Sorry. Must not have heard it." I mumbled through my teeth to keep my face from moving around too much so she could clean me in peace.

"Can you tell me what you were doing?" Her warm breath hit my face as she leaned a little closer to dab around it and from the looks of it, the damage was just under my left eye. _Wow, that was a hardcore bowl!_

"You remember when I said I couldn't cook?" I asked, refusing to flinch when she wiped the rest of my cheek. "Turns out I can't _bake_ either." A chuckle escaped before I could stop it, but she didn't even crack a smile. I mean, I would understand if she'd at least _giggled_ because I probably looked completely ridiculous right then, but there was a look in her eyes that had me beginning to worry. It was one of the looks she'd given me the one time I nearly lost it at _Sly's Gym_.

"Did the stove do _this_ too?" Blue eyes left my face to fall to my arm where a still fresh scrape and bruise covered the better half of my elbow and forearm. Before I could answer, she knelt on that side to clean that wound too, even though Danny had already taken care of it yesterday.

"Rookie mistake." I muttered, hissing when she started. Truthfully, I'd been testing out my baby and we were smoothing right along until I got caught up in my thoughts. That simply meant that I was too wrapped up to notice Petro's car when I turned the corner and ended up _just_ clipping the front and sprawling out on the pavement. Luckily, no one was around save for a jogger that helped me lift my bike back up and when I eventually got back to the shop, I told them and hadn't even noticed my arm until Danny pointed it out. As he cleaned my wound, the only thing he told me was that he was glad I was wearing my helmet and to be extra careful next time. "Won't happen again." Whether I was still talking to him or Elsa was beyond me.

I told him to take the next couple of my checks to repair the damage done to Petro's car. Of course, he heard nothing of it and said he'd do the repairs himself. That left me to save a couple of those checks for a newer paint job. _Good thing I didn't get the matte yet._

"Okay." Elsa seemed to let it slide, however that didn't ease the need for me to apologize. I always did. _But it happens. It's going to happen._ "Why were you trying to bake?" Straightening up, she gestured for me to get up too and once I did, I had no choice but to take a look in the mirror. If she wanted to avoid that topic for now, I was all too happy to oblige. _Whoa._ I squinted at myself, but the girl in the mirror still closely resembled the abominable snowman! Save for one eye and the egg splatters all over her t-shirt.

Elsa's question warranted an honest answer and I tried to reel in the emotions that suddenly surfaced once I got a look in those icy blues of hers again. That look was stronger than before. "Um, I wanted to make my _Valentine_ something authentic for the special occasion?" I washed my hands and the other side of my face before wiping myself down with a towel. "I guess plan B can be to get some fake cookies from the store." A short pause as I avoided her gaze. " _Vladimir's Pastries_ of course, because if I can't make something from the heart, then I can at least spend some money on something nice." As I continued rambling, I walked out of the bathroom while removing my shirt so I could change it.

"Anna." Elsa followed me into my room where I tossed my shirt into the hamper and then began rummaging around in my dresser for a clean one. Normally, I would have been a little more modest, but I didn't feel like being that way at the moment. She wasn't letting me. "Hey." Warm hands touched my shoulders, making me stop mid-search so I could look at her hesitantly. Only that time, all I saw were my cousin's frightened tear-stained face.

"If you don't want me to show my grief, could you maybe try to laugh at me? With me?" I had to tear my eyes away and I fixated on the clothes in my dresser.

"Anna, the baby's _alive._ " Elsa's grip tightened a bit.

"After _seven minutes_ of them claiming her to be stillborn!" I snapped, fighting off the tears and wrenched myself away from her so I could walk over to my bed. "I have _never_ seen Amber so completely scared out of her mind like that." Looking back at Elsa, I threw my hands up. "I was _there_ when the doctor gave her the news that her very first baby had something called _shoulder dystocia_ and that was the reason she was practically DOA! When my cousin and her husband practically fell apart-"

"I'm sorry, _Gattina._ " Stepping forward, Elsa wasted no time in pulling me to her where I instantly buried my face in her neck.

"I thought doctors were supposed to know this stuff." My teeth bared against her flesh. "How did they _not_ see that? Her stupid midwife, those stupid doctors- they could have given her a c-section!"

"Anna-"

"Now it's a few weeks later and Amber's already looking twice her age." I sniffled. "They said it was called postpartum."

"It effects everyone in your family, Anna. Not just Amber and Malcolm." Her voice was as calm as light in the dark. Soothing.

"H-Hayley's the first baby in our family." Finally it felt like all my fire fused out and I let myself sag into the love of my life's strong shoulder. She gently lead me backwards until my knees hit the edge of the mattress and I sat heavily.

"I can't imagine how that feels. Especially to someone as passionate as you." Elsa sighed, reaching up to push my bangs away from my eyes. "But seeing you like this..." Her thumb dropped to lift my chin up until I looked into her concerned arctic blues. "It hurts me. Scares me, Anna." Those eyes watered a bit, making me feel worse. Not for me, but for her. "You've never raised your voice-"

"I-I'm sorry." I stammered, wiping my nose and moved away from her touch. "You weren't supposed to see me unhinged like that. Again." Clearing my throat, I added. "And I didn't mean to yell at you like you didn't already know the whole story."

"You weren't yelling at me." She said quietly."And I would venture to say that it's an overdue outburst." Elsa resolved to take off her shoes before sliding further onto the bed and offered me another hug. "Don't think I forgot about how you acted towards the end of December. You've also been a little distant lately." She was right. Since New Years, I'd found myself working a little more because it seemed like Elsa had the Carnival and upcoming prom in the bag. I also wanted to get back to working on my bike thanks to the warmer weather and all. But now that she'd brought it up, I would have to confront my actions.

Fighting off her tempting invitation for a hug, I crossed my legs and turned to face her instead, choosing not to run away like I actually wanted to. Where would I go? _She's right here._ "I know you like to pretend that nothing hurts you and that you're coping well with your mother's-" Her sentence faded when my shoulders tensed. "You miss her terribly."

"Of course I do." My gaze fell to the hands in my lap. "We didn't do anything on the anniversary of her death this year, but I did take some flowers up there." Another sniffle left my nose and I didn't quite care if it was from the flour or not. Dad worked that day and I was out with everyone. While it was nice to be laughing and goofing off, I still felt like I'd cheated my mom on her special day. I hadn't gotten over it and with everything else that happened after, I couldn't stop the emotions from getting out of hand again. _Think it's time to start expressing it in some new way, huh?_ Esmeralda's words suddenly presented themselves in my mind. " _You know bottling all this junk in is going to destroy you from the inside out."_

I didn't want that.

"I love you." Elsa's voice swarmed around me like warm water as she slid closer to tenderly wrap her arms around me like I was about to break any second now. "The strength you possess is incredible and the fact that you can boldly say you're terrified of it is something I won't ever get over." She pressed a few kisses into my hair. "Anna, you're my Knight. My fighter. My rock."

"And you're mine." My voice was a little quiet, but I had no doubt that she could hear me loud and clear. "I knew you would be an important part of my life as soon as I laid eyes on you last year." Facing her, I took both her hands in mine. " _Yes,_ I miss my mom. My dad too. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't see her beautiful eyes in my mind. I see my dad and am reminded of the love they shared, of the unconditional love he still has for me. _Yes_ , my cousin's baby scared the living crap out of me before she even said my name or took her first tumble and Amber is dealing with a whole lot more than any of us bargained for, but at the end of those stressful days, _you_ are there." Pulling her hands up to my lips, I showered her knuckles with loving butterfly kisses. "I adore you, Elsa Mariani." I placed her hands back in her lap before leaning over to press my lips against hers. "You know how to calm my crazy. You don't judge me. You see me for _me_ and I love you so much more for all of that."

Elsa's lips curled against mine as she let out a soft sob and then proceeded to deepen the kiss. Only when she fell back on the bed did I realize how dirty I was, but she didn't care and I found myself feeling the same way. Instead, she reached for me and I didn't hesitate to follow her until my forearms were resting on either side of her head and our bodies were fit perfectly together. The pain on those parts of my body seemed so far away and there was just no way I'd pass it up by making her think I was suffering. No. I wanted to kiss her.

Our tongues slid hotly together, intertwining as I got caught up in tasting her, trying my best to take her in. I couldn't help it. If keeping all of that bottled up had created some sort of void in me, I was helpless to stop the vacuum of that void that drew in the sweet passion of this moment, the ache to be with my Snow Paw. I'd felt this way before and I honestly didn't completely understand what it meant, but it didn't matter. I just wanted her. More of her. Leaning on my uninjured arm, I brought my slightly trembling hand up to seek some sort of contact. Whether it be on her beautiful face or body didn't matter and as I settled for her side, I shifted once again.

Elsa broke the kiss with a gasp when I involuntarily pressed my leg between hers and it suddenly felt like everything that was Elsa flooded through my senses. The comforting heat of her body under me, her chest nestled together with mine, how incredibly soft her skin felt in my hand and the delicious feel of her shirt against my steadily overheating skin. _Freyja_ , the feeling of her subtly grinding into my thigh. "You're gorgeous." I murmured trailing my lips down that amazing jawline and placing gentle kisses in a slow descent. Something I hadn't really done before. My lips nudged against the topaz snowflake ever present on her neck before my hand came along to unbutton the next button of her plaid shirt. Pushing against the fabric with my chin, I undid the next button just enough for me to plant a kiss a little bit lower and I repeated the languid actions until I reached the valley of her breasts.

"A-Anna..." Elsa's voice broke midway through my name and her hands came up to tangle in my flour-dusted hair.

"Touch me too."I whispered against her sweet smelling skin before leaning back up to capture her lips once more. My hands continued to unbutton the rest of her shirt and when she didn't do much more than kiss me back, I slowly leaned away to say into her mouth, "Unless you want to stop?" Raising myself up and moving my hand to the other side of her head again, I even eased my body off a little, giving her space if she was having second thoughts. "I mean, I _am_ kind of a mess. In more ways than one." And I was. My hair was coated in flour, my jeans were still dirty as well and I was sure I smelt like the disasters of a kitchen and then there still was my issues of dealing with residual feelings about the past couple of weeks.

"You're perfect, _Gattina_." Elsa whispered her reply before lifting herself up to catch my lips in a quick kiss that made me follow her back to the mattress to keep that connection. However, I nearly lost it when I felt the sheer heat that suddenly pressed against our exposed stomachs and her hands curled in my hair once more as I clamped onto the nearest patch of skin I encountered. An excited breath passed from my lips and when she arched into me, I felt my blood roar though my veins at the sound that escaped her mouth thanks to my hand placing itself on her ribs. Just under her bra.

Her legs came up to wrap around my hips once I decided to continue leading my mouth down to where I'd left off earlier. That time I boldly slid my hands up to open more of her shirt to me, earning a shuddering breath up top as her hands finally left my hair to move them experimentally down my bare shoulders. Her touch sent waves of fire throughout my body and I barely had any focus left to pay attention to where my lips were going. Only when I ran into fabric did I notice I'd been caressing the insanely _soft_ curvature of her left breast with my lips and once I realized, my eyes widened. Instead of freezing on the spot, I felt her own hands silently telling me to continue so I pressed another meaningful kiss there before ghosting my lips to the other one.

Elsa then whispered something in Italian as her fingers dipped into either side of the waistband on my hips, making my eyes roll a little from the action and from her soft, yet firm touch. Those fingers traveled back away from my jeans, feeling along my stomach, ribs, and then hesitantly _up_ , exchanging a groan from me. _That feels so good._ As much as I wanted to continue kissing along her breasts, I wanted to taste her lips that much more and I was immediately pleased to find that her hands stayed right where they were when I decided to lift myself back up to seal my mouth over hers. Instantly melting into the sensuously deep kiss, I then brought both my hands up and gently placed them on her chest as well.

There was no fathomable way to describe the way she felt in my hands.

Her breath hitched and I didn't miss the way she arched into me again. Those hands of hers splayed out along my own breasts, causing me to pull away from her mouth lest I bite into her lip because she had brushed a particularly sensitive area with her thumbs. Both of them. _Fudge!_ My own hands were frozen, but as my mouth ventured back down to her collarbone, I found the strength to move them to mimic her movements. At the same time I took another patch of skin into my mouth so I could suck on it, my hands squeezed with just the right amount of pressure that caused Elsa to release a whimper and snap her head to the side as her own fingers twitched. It was music to my ears and I didn't hesitate to lave my tongue over the newest mark before skipping my lips further down until they landed right in the middle of her stomach.

My eyes had the pleasure of watching the muscles quiver on that toned midriff. Lower still, I could see a tiny mole just on the right side of her bellybutton and I swear that was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. There was also another one of those on the inside of her left shoulder that I enjoyed seeing when she wore shirts and dresses that showed it off, but this one? I didn't ever want anyone close enough to see it. To kiss it like I could. Only when I did just that, Elsa released something between a groan and a giggle that had me glancing back up to smirk at her. _You're so cute._ My mind purred as I lowered to press my lips to it again while keeping her eyes in my sight. Her Italian response made my smirk turn a little more devious.

"What if I said _you_ are the most adorably sexy thing I've ever seen?"

"I would disagree." Elsa's eyes were that attractive Indigo color and I wanted nothing more than to continue until we got to explore each other like never before, but we both knew there was something else we needed to do. I cursed my clumsiness with a passion right then. "You're getting better at understanding me, though." She added.

"Anything for you, Snow Paw." I nuzzled against her stomach, eliciting a chuckle from her and I felt her hands leave my chest to draw lazy circles over my shoulders. The chills combined with fire were back to invading my body.

"Mmm..." Was her response to my mouth teasing around her bellybutton once more and as I flicked my eyes up, I caught her tensing a bit when I pressed a more pointed kiss to that mole.

"This is mine." I whispered, nipping at it playfully. " _Sei mia._ "

"Always." Her hands then moved around to cup my cheeks so she could pull me up to connect our lips again.

* * *

Downstairs.

 _'I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me. And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me...'_

"Were you really trying to make cookies for me?" Elsa asked after tying her hair back into the most dazzling ponytail I'd ever seen. I mean, sure, she sometimes had her glorious hair up like that, but it was the first time I got to witness her tying it. Strange? _I_ don't think so. What really got me was the way she held the elastic between her teeth as her hands did the rest of the work and the fact that her hair was still somewhat messy afterwards left me nearly grinning like a dork. _That shirt too._ I wasn't about to question why she wasn't wearing an undershirt with it. _But it's pretty thick material..._

"Of course!" I snapped out of it and waved her off, continuing to sweep up the flour. "Exhibit A." I gestured to the sink littered with horribly black cookies. Poor unfortunate souls. "I, uh- got caught up with the newest game Dad got me." And I did! I got lost in the world of _Gotham_ and was too busy trying to take down _Scarecrow_ to realize my cookies were burning alive until it was too late.

"That would explain the loud music." She reached in to take out a cookie, examining it before breaking it in half. "If I hadn't heard it through the door, I probably would have left."

"Hey, people cook with music all the time." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Your mom does it." I added without thinking and once I went back over what I'd just said, Elsa already beat me to the punch.

"Was that an attempt at a _mom joke_?" She actually snickered when I hung my head. I even almost dropped the dust pan when I suddenly glared at her.

"No." I scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard.

"It was." Elsa was unrelenting as I got the majority of the flour in the pan. After dumping the first round in the bin, I got the remaining sweeps in without looking into those amused orbs.

"Was not."

"Was so."

Dumping the rest of the ruined flour into the trashcan, I gingerly placed the broom and dustpan down to cross my arms. "Take a look at _this_ face." I quickly went from arrogant to earnest and pointed to myself with the widest innocent eyes I could muster. "Does this look like the face of someone who would lie to you?"

Elsa dusted her hands off with a short laugh after placing the cookie back on the counter, coming over to cup my cheeks. "Actually, it looks like a face in need of a kiss." Was her reply as she leaned in to press one to my cheek, making my heart skip a beat in response. "Thank you, _Gattina._ If you'd heavily frosted them, I might not have noticed."

 _Aw, what?!_ "Your face!" I groaned burying my own face in my hands. "I'm such a failure!" Came my dramatic wailing, which only made Elsa try to choke down her laughter. When nothing else happened, I peeked though my fingers. "I think this is where you're supposed to console me, no?"

Elsa only patted my shoulder twice with a barely restrained smile. "There, there." Her voice was so monotonous that I frowned at her, but then ended up snorting out a laugh.

"You're impossible." I shook my head and returned her kiss to her cheek. "But I don't know if that's one of the reasons why I'm so crazy for you." With a finger to my chin, I suddenly eyed the counter top. _Perfect._

"Oh?" Elsa didn't expect me to snatch up the whipping cream I'd been lightly eating earlier and when I shook it up, she instantly put on her guarded face like I was about to do something more with it. _We'll see about that._

"What? Don't you want any?" I asked innocently, spraying some in my mouth before holding it out to her. "Or do you not trust me?"

"I'd trust you more if you'd let me serve myself." She looked suspicious enough to make me grin deviously at her.

"And what kind of Knight would I be if I let my Queen do that?" Inching closer, I caught the flush that captured her cheeks. "What say you?"

"I-I say we get another batch going." Elsa successfully evaded my plan and handed me the very bowl that made a bruise appear along with the cut under my eye. " _Now_ you get to show this bowl who's the boss."

"I was just going to toss it in the trash." I shrugged, placing the bottle back on the table, but not before smacking my sticky lips to Elsa's. I'd get her back one way or another. "This is your lucky day, my friend." My eyes narrowed mock menacingly at the bowl as I set it back on the table. Beside me, I didn't miss the way Elsa discretely licked her lips with her face an even pinker shade than two seconds ago. _Simply. Adorable._

 _'The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and , oh, the night's so blue. And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like "I love you..."'_

* * *

Later.

"What the...heck happened in here?" Dad's jade-colored eyes were already wide when he came in, but as he venture further to take in the state of Elsa and I, he immediately looked like he was about to freak out.

"Elsa did it." I pointed a white and pink smothered finger to the girl who was now looking at me incredulously. "She attacked me when my defenses were at their lowest."

"Oh, _whatever._ " She scoffed, but chose not to defend herself and instead, avoided eye contact while subtly fixing her shirt so it wasn't showing off the chocolate frosting that had 'somehow' made it's way into her cleavage. _Oops._ There was also chocolate and regular white frosting smeared on my neck and ear, but I was sure the man called my Dad wouldn't think anything other than his daughter was a complete klutz in the kitchen. (Which I was.) And I knew that even more chocolate was present on other places on my face, arms and clothes. Elsa's too, so we were in the clear.

But, I would be lying if I said it wasn't a good thing he'd made a ruckus about the music playing when he first came in, because that had given us enough time to make ourselves a little more presentable before he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Want a cookie, dad?" I asked, skirting around the island to hold out the tray of nicely decorated cookies to him. "Elsa came over so she could help me and look-" I swept my arm around the room. "Your kitchen is still intact."

"But it looks like you murdered some cookies. Even got a shiner to prove the struggle." He gestured to my left eye with a more sympathetic smile that made me shrug a shoulder.

"It happens." I replied, urging him to take one because, hello, _Elsa_ made them. Well, she didn't let them burn if anything.

Even though he was unsure about what I held out to him, he ultimately took a heart decorated with sprinkles galore. I also didn't miss him murmuring about my inability to 'take it easy with the sprinkles' and that had me rolling my eyes. Off to the side, I also heard Elsa stifle a giggle. _Pfft! Who doesn't like it like that?_ I remember always asking my mom if I could help out after she baked cookies and of course, the lids had usually 'fallen off' when anyone asked about the added piles of sugar gooped in one spot rather than neatly spread all over. Old habits die hard.

"Good job, Panda. They look perfectly incarcerated." He even had the audacity to grasp my shoulder like I'd actually done a good job. I was sure Elsa would be teasing me about that later.

"Oh, yeah. They turned quite evil before I stepped in." I stated matter-of-factly, missing the way he experimentally tried the first bite of cookie before stuffing more into his mouth. "But we managed to stop them before they could take your kitchen hostage and blow it up. Right, Snow Paw?"

"Exactly." Elsa cleared her throat, making my dad turn his attention to her. "As you can see, Anna has taken the majority of the hits." She gestured to my clothes and arms. _Yeah. 'Cause I already got most of YOUR chocolate off._ I thought smugly, enjoying the pointed look she gave me when she saw it.

"I see Anna's been influencing you." He sent a lopsided grin her way.

"It's out of control." Elsa responded with her own smirk.

"I'm standing _right_ here." I waved at them after placing the tray down, making my dad snicker.

"Alright, Panda. Elsa. I've had a long-ish day so I'm going to eat some leftover takeout and then call it a night." Sneaking another cookie, he wandered to the fridge to grab his dinner before kissing my temple. "Money's where it usually is. Be safe."

"For the most part." I grinned, making him pause so he could glare at me. Holding my hands up, I directed a more convincing smile to hopefully sate him. "Kidding, I'm always safe. But you might want to start telling me not to get distracted."

He liked that better. "Right. Keep your head on a swivel then."

" _Oorah_." I fought the urge to salute him as he nodded an affirmative before shooting Elsa another friendly smile which she returned easily enough.

When he was out of earshot, Elsa wasted no time in trying to wipe off her face and arms since she didn't do it earlier. "How do I let you talk me into participating in all your shenanigans, Anna Crescent?"

"Because my shenanigans are fun and cheeky." I defended, sliding over to her so I could stop her hand from rubbing at her cheek. " _And_ you love me." I added smugly and then licked the tip of her nose that still had a bit of frosting on it.

"Is that another unknown reason to your _not sure why I'm crazy about Elsa_ list?" Elsa smirked, reaching up to rub at my chin with her free hand.

"No." I caught that hand too, not refusing a lick to her thumb that made a lovely shade of pink dash across her pretty face. "I personally love it when _I'm_ responsible for getting you out of your comfort zone." Looking into her eyes, I added earnestly, "there's also no such list because I'm crazy about you and I need no other explanation."

"You're so romantic." Elsa stepped closer to place another kiss to my lips.

I had to stop the kiss because I was smiling too much. "The month of February will do that to you." But when Elsa suddenly looked away, I let myself drift back from the sugar high we'd both found ourselves in. "Hey." Bringing those eyes back until they met mine, I gave her a reassuring smile. "Your last day of school is still three months away."

"And we've been avoiding talking about it." Elsa sighed dejectedly, making me forget about how dirty we were so I could pull her in for a hug she really needed.

"Why don't we clean up first?" I murmured into her neck. "I'll order something and then we can talk over dinner."

"You don't want me to cook?" Elsa asked around a breathy chuckle, but I still heard the sadness in her voice.

"Who's stalling now?" I pulled back with a grin. "Nah, you've been in this kitchen enough today. But I'll let you pick what we can eat."

* * *

After cleaning up. Again.  


"I gotta say, that shirt definitely looks good on you." I playfully nudged Elsa's hip with mine as I passed her to get the door. It was the _Gas Monkey_ shirt I'd been wearing that day we reconciled and I wouldn't be surprised if it held some sort of sentimental value to her. _It really does look fetching on her._ I thought giddily, sneaking a look behind me to see her on her phone with the logo staring back at me too. _Really good._ The delivery guy straightened up when I opened the door and once I did, I felt my jaw instantly go slack. "H-Hans?" I stammered, voice going up an octave in surprise.

"Anna?" He was wearing sunglasses, but I would know those crazy ginger sideburns anywhere. "What are you doing here?"

"I-" I hesitated for half a second, "I-I kinda _live_ here." I found myself answering, still trying to get over my initial shock.

"Oh. Right." He chuckled awkwardly. _Awkwardly._ Hans wasn't awkward. _What's going on here?!_ "So...I got your order for you." Handing me my bags, I stiffly held out a twenty to him. Awkward just wasn't that big a word to describe what I was feeling right then.

"Uh, keep the change." I added blankly, reaching back to rub my neck that was still moist from my shower.

"Thanks."

We both turned to go our own ways again, but then instantly spun back around to point at each other like idiots.

"I'm _so_ going to tell everyone!" I declared.

"Don't tell anyone!" Hans waved his hands around as if he was trying to catch my words, making me tilt my head curiously. _Oh?_

There was a stand off that left him sighing loudly and then removing his sunglasses so he could regard me seriously. "What you want from me in exchange for your silence?"

 _That's easy._ "Stop hitting on me."

"Deal."

And then he was gone, leaving me to wander back into the house like I'd just gotten my brain transferred elsewhere. Elsa was already seated on the couch with the remote in hand since I'd told her to pick a movie too and when I plopped down beside her with the food in my lap, she turned to give me a secret smile. One I didn't see until I was about to tell her what had just happened and when I eventually saw it, I threw my hands up as realization struck.

"Elsa Mariani, you're _so_ bad!" I suddenly chortled, making her release her own small laugh.

"So I've been told." She stated, plucking the bag from my lap so she could distribute the sandwiches and chips between us. I also noticed the two cans of soda sitting on the coffee table.

"I saw...but I still don't believe it." I rubbed my eyes before finally doubling over in laughter. "Big, bad, chivalrous H-Hans is a delivery boy!" I knew I was laughing way too hard about it, but I was completely blindsided and the fact that Elsa had that little knowing grin of hers in place, did nothing to help me. "I-I'm sorry." I gasped, trying to calm myself down.

"Don't be." Elsa slid closer to my side. "It was a bet him and Kai lost to Gerda and I when I won the election."

I managed to settle down enough to ask, "Heh- he _did_ have posters up didn't he?" Another smaller laugh escaped, but I knew I was over the more intense part of losing it. _That's still hilarious though!_

Elsa nodded. "He was so confident that he would win, he set himself up with saying that he'd be a delivery boy and Kai said he would apply at a lingerie store somewhere."

"Tell me Kai got the job." I turned to grasp her hand in anticipation.

"Indeed." She leaned over to kiss my cheek. I couldn't help it and immediately broke out in another fit of giggles. "I just thought I'd tell you, you know, in case he was starting to sway you with all his _courting._ " Her tone suggested _far_ more than that, which had me reciprocating her kiss to her jaw.

"Uh-uh, you _wanted_ us to see each other so I wouldn't be swayed with his courting." I grinned smugly at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Elsa pointedly leaned away to bite into her sandwich while I took my time unwrapping mine.

"On the subject of jealousy-" I began.

"I'm not jealous." Elsa defended. Seriously. Could she be anymore cute?

But I still rolled my eyes. _"Please."_ Taking a bite of my sandwich, I then leaned over to nudge her shoulder with mine. "Don't think I don't see those annoying sycophants bothering you whenever I'm not around too."

"You mean-"

"Your _fangirls_ , Miss Mariani." I clarified with an educated raised finger. "Those shallow and obnoxious girls that worship the very ground you walk on," Sitting up, I flipped my hair back in the most ridiculous way I could muster. " _OMG, Elsa who does your nails? I love your hair! I wanna be you when I grow up! Oh, you applied for Corona University? Me too, let's see if we can be roommates. Hashtag roomies!"_ I said it all while holding my nose and upping my voice until it was high-pitched and as annoying as could be.

"Th-they're not _that_ bad." Elsa was covering her mouth to keep from spitting her food out.

I wasn't fazed. " _Hashtag Corona. Hashtag just because I like hashtagging every little thing, hashtag. OMG Elsa smiled at me! A bunch of us already signed up for the Elsa is the Queen of Arendelle High Forever Club and now we're getting rush tickets to Mama Mia, you have to come with!"_

"You're actually really good at that." Elsa managed to choke through her laughter.

"You got that right." I stated with exaggerated cockiness and then tossed my hair again with a failed sultry look back over my shoulder at her. "Hashtag _genius_." Putting heavy emphasis on that last word that had her shaking her head with a goofy grin.

The sweet melody of her laughter made me join in for a few more idiotic minutes. "So you're jealous because you can't act like this around me?" Elsa took a deep breath and a quick sip of her soda.

"Now when you say it like _that_ ," I snorted, waving the question away because it sounded ridiculous out loud. "But, I guess I could say that I don't like them because of how uncomfortable they make you." That worked better.

"My hero." Elsa set her food aside so she could snuggle closer into my side. "Three more months and we won't have to worry about them."

"No." I chuckled. "That just means that I'll need to carry a club with me for the rest of the year to beat them away from you because you _know_ they'll be even more relentless since you're graduating."

"Then bash away." She whispered. "I'd rather see as much of you as I can instead of them." Her lips pressed to my cheek and then along my jaw until I turned to catch them with mine. "I choose you every time." Were her honey-coated words against my mouth.

 _'I can see it in your eyes that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before. And though it's just a line to you, for me, it's true and never seemed so right before...'_

" _Ti amo._ " I growled and wasted no time in tackling her.

"The food!" Elsa yelped before bursting into laughter as I took her to the floor with the biggest, happiest and completely dopiest smiles either of us had shown. It seemed like all problems and what have you was forgotten the very moment our lips fused together again.

 _'I love you.'_

* * *

 _ **I own nothing.**_

 _A/N: Konichiwa! Iit's certainly been awhile. Honestly, I had no idea how to come back from that last chapter...but I did and there you go. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it. Yay._

 _Anyway. Thank you for reading, reviewing and whatnot. (And check out those songs when you get the chance. The genres are so different, but the message is pretty clear in both.)_

 _Tootles with a kiss~_


	36. A Girl Like You

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

As soon as I came through the door, I immediately tossed my bag down on the table and followed the sound of a scarily familiar cry until I saw my frazzled cousin trying to calm her poor baby down.

"Maybe we should come back some other time?" Kristoff whispered once he caught up to me and took in the scene as well. I honestly had no idea why Amber and Hayley were seated in our living room, but when a particular noise erupted from the little one, I found myself right in front of them without a second to spare. _That_ whimpering mixed with a wail broke my heart.

"Hey, now. What's the big idea?" I raised my voice a just enough for the small one to hear and as I carefully scooped her out of Amber's arms, I heard my cousin sniffle. _Oh man._ I snapped my head around to signal the guys and they ended up putting their bags down so they could help out while I tried to calm Hayley down. In truth, I was _terrified_ that I would somehow drop the little bundle, but I knew I would rather drop myself on the down the stairs before that happened and thankfully, that wasn't the case. She was safe in my arms. "Aw, what happened to the baby?" I drawled while instantly holding her to me and swaying her around as gently as I could.

Those cries of hers were still making my ears ring, but I wasn't about to stop and eventually started to bounce her in my arms. "Oh, tell me about it." I couldn't help but chuckle when more of a squeak left that tiny mouth of hers. "How can something so small make such a ruckus?" I asked, slowly spinning us around while keeping up the movement in my arms. "Who did it? Was it mommy?" Smirking over my shoulder, I caught Kristoff and Olaf sitting on either side of my cousin who scoffed at me. _At least SHE'S not crying anymore._ We just needed Hayley now.

The guys continued to calm her down and I was thankful because it gave me time to focus on the little thing in my arms. " _Shhh_." I calmly cooed, pressing a small kiss to her full head of hair. Thanks to daddy, she'd gotten a mop of dark hair with her mother's pale blue eyes. Very beautiful pint-sized child. "It's okay, pretty girl." I adjusted the tiny body until her cheek was resting on my collarbone and once she was settled, I began patting her back. Her crying reduced substantially, yet residual strong doses of shrieks lingered, causing me to rub her back for a minute before lightly swaying us around once more.

 _"'So long, I've been looking too hard I've been waiting too long.'"_

My voice went as soft and low as could be until I hit a soothing note as I softly sang against the teeny head beside my chin. I couldn't get over the way she smelt. _So new, it's insane._ Like ivory soap and lavender even though she was a already a few weeks old.

 _"'Sometimes I don't know what I will find, I only know it's a matter of time when you love someone. When you love someone.'"_

The crying simmered down a bit more, letting me turn us again without having to steady her head. I got lost in the way she felt in my arms and when a short squeal left her, I couldn't help the grin that broke out across my lips. She was so smooth and soft and cute that I feared my heart would burst.

 _"'It feels so right, so warm, and true. I need to know if you feel it too.'"_

A strong burp sounded that caused her whole body to tense and then she let out a soft sigh, making me bite back a chuckle. _So precious!_ From the couch, I saw the other three watching us with curious eyes and only when I heard the door open, did I lead us through another slow sway.

 _"'Maybe I'm wrong. Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong? This heart of mine has been hurt before. This time I wanna be sure.'"_

By then, the wailing had stopped and since I figured she only needed to burp, she would most likely fall back to sleep. I was fine with that. When daughter slept, so did mom. Or so my grandma told me one time.

 _"'I've been waiting, for a girl like you, to come in to my life.'"_

When I completed the circle, I saw none other than Elsa, Sen, and Kida standing there with a few boxes of pizza. Instinctively, my eyes zoomed in on the love of my life as I sang the next verse.

 _"'I've been waiting, for a girl like you and a love that will survive. I've been waiting for someone new, to make me feel alive.'"_

Sen suddenly fanned herself off to the side like a dork, earning a playful slap by Kida and I tried so hard not to pay attention to them, lest I lose it. As soon as the little one shifted in my arms some, I placed my lips closer to her head while maintaining eye-contact with Elsa.

 _"'Yeah, waiting, for a girl like you, to come in to my life.'"_

Hayley twitched, but that was about it. No more crying or whimpering. I then turned back around to gesture for Kristoff to have Amber follow me. My poor cousin wiped her nose with tissue Olaf had given her before letting Kristoff help her up. Again, I wasn't entirely sure _why_ Amber was there, but I wasn't about to stop and question while the pair looked like they needed sleep. _Maybe Malcolm's overseas again?_ That wouldn't have been hard to believe seeing as he was a very busy man.

When we got to my room, Amber was sure enough to extract her baby from me so I could close the blinds and clear off my bed like it wasn't already clear besides my red panda. "Thank you." She whispered, placing her daughter's head on the tip of my pillow while she positioned herself right beside her. Instead of saying anything, I reached down to run my fingers through her long locks and then turned my stereo on.

After quietly closing the door behind me, I sauntered down the hall to the stairs with an extra ear out to listen for Hayley in case I didn't put her to sleep like I thought. When nothing else happened in there, my steps adorned a light hop and I practically skipped the rest of the way until I found myself at the bottom of the staircase.

"All hail the Baby Slayer." Kristoff chuckled, raising his hand to gain a high-five from me. I rolled my eyes, but didn't deny him and even reared back to make the slap count.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved him off before going to the kitchen for drinks while Olaf and Kida finished setting up the game. Apparently, Kristoff had gotten a new one and he couldn't wait to share it with Olaf, so we all agreed to hang out after school since none of us had any homework. Or so we liked to think. And if I had known Amber was going to be in the living room, I would have suggested we go to Olaf's. _Oh well._

"You know, I don't ever recall hearing you sing before." Sen's voice sounded from beside me, causing me to glance curiously at her. Straightening back up from the fridge, I handed her half the cans of soda before raising a brow.

"No?" I asked. Thinking over all the times we'd hung out with her, I actually couldn't remember singing anything and if I missed something, it was a little too late to worry now.

"I would have remembered that sultry, smooth voice." She nudged me playfully with her elbow. _You should hear Elsa's voice, then._ My mind snickered. "You must drive Miss Mariani wild with it." Sen added remark that ended with a meaningful wink. I shot her a lopsided smirk.

 _"Sono d'accordo con te."_ Elsa was standing in the doorway and when I saw those deep hypnotizing cerulean pools, I felt a wider grin split my face. I wasn't quite sure what the love of my life said, but I was willing to guess it had something to do with what Sen had just pointed out. The main thing was that it was in the language that made my knees just as weak as the beholder did. "She puts me to sleep too." Elsa's sudden tease had me duck my head with a chuckle along with Sen.

"I see how it is now, Snow Paw." As I passed by her, I didn't hesitate to bump my hip against hers, sharing a secretive smile. "We'll see about that the next time you get insomnia." I growled. She actually didn't have that unfortunate curse, but if I wasn't careful, we would end up staying in the kitchen longer than we should have been. Elsa and I hadn't had any time to ourselves all day so that was understandable to the both of us. Them, not so much.

When we came back in to the living room, the guys were already immersed in the new game while Kida was busy helping herself to the boxes of pizza. "Hey, what's this one?" She asked as I settled next to her after placing the soda down on the coffee table.

"Something I tried at Elsa's and I liked it right off the bat. Oven. Whatever, it was a special request from yours truly." I replied, taking two cold cans and pressing one against Olaf's ankle and the other right on the sliver of skin Kristoff had left open on his back. They both yelped at the same time and paused the game so they could glare at me. "Have time to eat?" I gave them an innocent smile.

"Okay. But _what_ exactly is it?" Kida's blue eyes narrowed to carefully scrutinize the pizza like it would jump out and attack her if she wasn't prepared.

"It's called _Margherita_." I clarified as I took a slice out and dove right into it. Elsa was quick to follow my lead, but instead of going to town like me, she was classy enough to at least grab a plate first.

"You're so whipped." Kristoff snickered. "The woman's got you all _turnt_ around with foreign pizza and whatnot." That got a snicker out of everyone besides me.

"Say what you want," Olaf pushed himself between Kristoff and I to get a slice for himself. "Because I wanna try it."

I stopped mid-bite to give Kristoff a strained look once Olaf sat back. Instead of answering with my mouth full, I held up a finger to hold him there and after I safely swallowed, I pointed at him. "First: don't ever say _turnt_ again." A short laugh left me before I turned to give the girl who stole my heart an earnest smile. "Secondly: you're right." My free hand placed itself on hers. Elsa Mariani and all that made her _Elsa_ weaved a spell around me.

A spell like silk ribbons that held me right where I wanted to be and where she wanted me to be whether she knew it or not.

"Get a _room_ already!" Kida groaned, making us break our gazes from each other so we could laugh to ourselves.

"Luckily, her room's already occupied." Olaf whispered not so quietly. I felt my face heat up while everyone else erupted in laughter too and I didn't stop myself from hitting his shoulder, forcing a pained cry fused with giggles from him.

* * *

The next day.

I was busy closely scrutinizing the perfect Valentine surprise/gift and enjoying the various pleasant scents that filled my nose, messing my mind up with everything love-infused, but when a stronger smell presented itself beside me, I sighed heavily. "Kristoff, you've had that body spray since eighth grade." Leaning away from the promising petals, I fixed him with a crooked grin. "I think it's time you change it."

"Yeah? Maybe I should switch to..." He squinted to the very things I was looking at. "Jasmine?"

"Sen might like it if you smelled like flowers rather than an old man." I snickered, jumping away when he threatened to wrap his arms around me for a noogie.

"It's- I don't smell like an old man." He defended with an arrogant puff of his chest.

"Yes, you do." Kida popped out of nowhere and even had the gall to bury her nose in his shoulder for a deeper whiff before tearing away while pinching her nose. " _Ugh,_ what is that?!"

"It's called _C_ -"

"Hey, don't tell her!" My eyes widened and I wasted no time in jamming my finger to his lips to silence his wide mouth. When they both looked skeptically at me, I leaned closer to whisper, "Tell her and she'll be teasing you until the end of time."

Kristoff then nodded like I'd told him the world's most intimate secret while Kida rolled her eyes with a scoff. "I would never." She waved us off before looking over the selection of flowers I surrounded myself in earlier when I suddenly ditched them. We weren't doing anything besides walking around anyway. "Are you thinking about getting some of these for Elsa?"

"No, I was thinking about giving them to Mr. Kwalski." I grinned, making them groan at me in exasperation.

"Are you looking for _another_ teacher to get fired because of a forbidden relationship?" Kristoff asked a little too loudly and ended up yelping when Kida and I hit him numerous times to try to keep him quiet. "Wh-what? Rivera isn't in here!" Came his protest as his hands raised to protect himself.

"But there _are_ people in here." A voice we all hadn't heard in awhile sounded from behind us. Turning around, I came face to... _chest_ with Esmeralda and didn't stop myself from jumping back because the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself around the other two by accidentally burying myself in the busty chest of my taller friend.

"Ah!" I pointed at her before spreading my arms for a hug. "I know you."

"Hi, _Annalicious._ " Emerald eyes beamed at me as she stepped forward to claim her hug. "It's been too long." Her arms squeezed like it'd been decades and not weeks. Even her perfume was enough to almost drown out the smell of the shop, but it wasn't a bad thing. She smelt really nice.

"Toffy, is that _Elsa_ over there?" Kida's smug voice made me snap my head around guiltily, but when she only snorted out a chuckle, I let go of Esmeralda in order to smack her in the shoulder to no avail. Kida just laughed harder, leaning on Kristoff who was trying to conceal his own budding grin too. _Great._

"Don't mind them." I scoffed and then turned back to find Esmeralda picking at a batch of white roses.

"Will do." She smirked over her shoulder at me before picking a single one out. "So, what's this I hear about Rivera? She's one of the newer teachers isn't she?"

"It was all over the news." I slapped Kida's hand away when she pointedly reached over to pull my necklace out of my shirt like I forgot who my heart belonged to. "I thought you would have already known about it." _Seeing as your fiance is the Detective and whatnot._ Esmeralda brought the rose to her lips and I quickly diverted my eyes because I was sure she was merely smelling it and I was only starting to make an idiot out of myself. The woman had a way of making me forget that she was older than I was.

"I know what the news said," She began, letting me feel the cool plushness of her rose since she'd deliberately slid it down cheek at a snail's pace. I fought the urge to run. Maybe it was a good thing Kida had pulled my necklace out when she did. "But what do _you_ guys know?" Esmeralda mercifully moved away to address us as a whole and not only focusing on me. _Whew!_

"We know the guy's name, but we'd rather not give it out either." Kida answered first, easily switching to her mock-serious mode. "Karen E. Rivera was arrested some time ago and charged with ten accounts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Her bond was set at $75,000 and as of today she is no longer an employee of the district."

"Thank you, Kida Nedakh." Kristoff stepped next to her. "Next up on weather: scattered showers of Jasmine petals followed by winds of slight jealousy that are soon to turn into a high of making up at seventy degrees."

There was an awkward pause that followed, making all of us look from one to another in confusion before breaking out in a laugh. One that was still confused, but he'd been so serious about it that we had no other choice but to humor him. _Winds of jealousy?_

"Speaking of-" Esmeralda was the first to recover as she brought those green orbs to my level. "How is your pretty lady-friend?"

"Amazing." I smiled widely at her.

"Oh. And how did your match go? I've been dying to ask." Her face brightened while mine heated up substantially at the memory of those smoky, Indigo-colored eyes hovering over me as she declared herself the victor in that sexy voice of hers.

"U-um. It went p-pretty good." I cleared my throat with a cough. _Calm down._ "Elsa won." I added, carefully avoiding eye-contact with all of them lest they see something in my eyes that was only meant for Elsa to see.

"Huh." Esmeralda's voice held a knowing drawl. "Didn't think you'd be one to be on the bottom so easily."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Kida _thankfully_ stepped in before I ended up choking on my tongue.

"You and Mariani had a match and you didn't tell us?" Kristoff growled.

"Hey, I wasn't- i-it just happened!" I held my hands up, already feeling my face turn fire engine red. _Emmie!_ Glaring at the woman did nothing but heap coals on my head because she was giving me a particular smirk that said she meant exactly what she'd said and that I wasn't fooling anyone.

Instead of taking anymore of her teasing, I quickly left them there to look for someone that could help me with the flowers I wanted to buy. _That darn woman!_

* * *

Back at school.

 _Gray._

 _Her world was immersed in not only black and white, but even the ones between. Shades. The girl had been taught how to shade since before she could talk. She'd been taught that in order to separate colors evenly throughout her canvas, she needed to adjust the pressure in her fingertips. Her forearm with every stroke. Her concentration needed to be focused, lest she make a subtle mistake. It would have been such an unpretentious mistake that may have been invisible to the viewer's eye, but to her, she would forever remember and lament making it in the first place._

 _Her only remedy was to not make a mistake._

 _Those fingers of hers were used to differentiating the tones to made even the red appear as red, the shaded blacks look gorgeous enough to be separated from dark to even darker. Her world consisted of meaningless hues. Of shades. Black and white like a chess board. Rain and clouds were almost always present, thus shielding her skin from ever being touched or kissed by the glorious sun. Her life resembled her canvas._

 _Boxed in and unable to move from the monotonicity of it._

 _She hadn't anticipated the flash. It was as subtle as the slightest overenthusiastic flicker from her fingertips that caused that mistake that would forever haunt her. It was a flash of blue. Dazzling blue. Something she'd never witnessed before and to say it was unsettling would have been an understatement. More so because the color was in someone's eyes. Or was it because they seemed unreal? Maybe it was a figment of her imagination._

 _No, that couldn't be it. Not entirely. She knew it wasn't in her head because those eyes...she would dream of those eyes. She would remember them forever. They belonged to someone she never expected. Another woman. Those eyes had been disconcerting before, but now that she got to see them with the rest of the woman...they suddenly were a thousand times worse._

 _Or a thousand times better..._

"Hey whatcha writing?" Olaf peered over my shoulder to get a glimpse and just like that, my concentration was broken. Leaning back with a chuckle, I slid my paper over to him. As he eagerly read what I gave him, my hand snuck into my jacket to fish out a few gummies that I split with him.

That morning, Elsa had been the one to come find me before the bell rang and when she took me to her locker, I swear I could have fainted right then and there. The timid look she'd had on her face when she handed me the bag of _Sweet Tart_ heart-shaped gummies was unlike anything I'd seen and I all but tackled her in gratitude for it. Mine consisted of a small nicely decorated circular vase that contained a card in it, which would fill up without the card, (I hadn't told her that part yet) and instead, I told her to keep it on her desk in the boardroom until later. Naturally she was thankful for the vase _and_ the card since it contained hand-written tickets for kisses, hugs, cuddles, massages and other sappy stuff I'd thought up the night before.

She'd used one of the 'hug me like I'm yours' tickets right away.

"Ah, just a little something for Creative Writing." I stretched my arms over my head. "And since my dad's paying seventeen extra dollars for me to take the next ACT with writing test next month, I thought I'd brush up on my writing skills." _Like I have any._ My mind cackled at me. Looking at the scribbles on the paper Olaf was reading helped that argument a little more considering it looked like a toddler wrote it.

"This is pretty good." Olaf handed the paper back to me with a barely restrained look which instantly tore into a wide grin. "Okay, it was fabulous! Are you going to college for a teaching position?" Gray eyes prodded mine excitedly. We all knew where _his_ heart was set, but as for Kida, Kristoff, and I, we had no real idea what we were going to do after graduation. Well, I was sure Kida was spoken for thanks to all her secrecy about her home life, but that was only a passing thought in my mind.

"I don't know, O." I shrugged, ready to close my notebook before a creamy, soft hand stopped me from doing so. "Maybe I'll go in as undecided for now." Bringing my eyes up, I shot Elsa a smile as I made room for her to sit down beside me. It was all I could do to _not_ kiss her right then.

"Well, you got another year to think on it." He huffed and then turned his attention away from me. "What about you, Elsa? Where are _you_ going to college?"

Enticing blue eyes were carefully reading over my words and she barely managed to murmur, "I got my acceptance letter to Corona last month." While she was occupied, I stealthily turned to grab the next of a few more presents out of my bag.

"Wh- seriously?!" Olaf squeaked. "That's awesome! What are you majoring in?"

"Chemistry." Elsa replied distractedly before turning the page, seemingly looking more. "Where's the rest, _Gattina?_ " Those eyes slid back to me in question and then widened a bit when she saw the single Jasmine flower I held there.

"It's rolling around in the back of my head somewhere." I chuckled and instead of waiting for her to take it, I reached up to place it in her glorious thick locks just above the ear on her right. "Happy Valentines Day." I whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. When I pulled back, I got to witness the adorable flush that captured her cheeks as she hesitantly reached up to touch the pretty flower. _If she's that irresistible now, I can't wait until later._

"I-I have your other one in the boardroom, if you want-" She began, only stopping when my hand grasped hers.

"I can wait. Besides, I'm still enjoying the one from this morning." I whispered, emphasizing the bulge in my jacket pocket, before turning to Olaf. "So, how's it going with Felicity?"

"They're not." He replied defeatedly, making me frown in confusion at him.

"What do you mean?" I tried to peer into his eyes, but he sighed heavily and looked away altogether.

"I mean: it wasn't working out. There was some sort of beef between her step-dad and my dad and so she had to break it off with me." His longer response landed his head in his arms.

Elsa and I exchanged looks of worry. "But..." I hesitated, still unable to wrap my head around his bit of stunning information. "Oaken doesn't mind you being together." It was a lame attempt, but I couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

"Yeah, but Felicity doesn't live with Oaken." His gray eyes swept over mine dejectedly. "It's okay, though. Wouldn't wanna cause friction in that household."

"That's ridiculous." I snorted, crossing my arms on the table in front of me. "What did _she_ have to say about it?" Inwardly wincing at the nearly bitter way I'd asked that. Felicity was a sweet girl and there was no way she would willingly break Olaf's heart unless... _Stop. You don't even know her side yet._ My mind hissed at me, making me bite my tongue to keep from saying anything else.

"She didn't like it, of course. But when her mom stepped in on it too, she couldn't do anything about it." He grumbled. That pissed me off like no other because I didn't like the look Olaf had and I was about to go off on a rampage when someone else beat me to the punch.

"Then do the whole _Romeo and Juliet_ thing!" Kida appeared next with an arm draped around his shoulders. "You're both theater nerds and that's the best love story out there! Granted, it ends in tragedy, but this isn't the dark ages where poison is just laying around for a weird priest to give you." She grinned. _That- how does that make any sense?!_ I thought, giving her the same look my mind was trying to piece together to no avail. She ignored it.

"Elsa's a chemistry major, though." Olaf suddenly pointed out, making said girl straighten a little at hearing her name. "Maybe she can make me the same things."

"But, she's lacking in the priest department." I countered.

Kida, Olaf and Elsa all snickered at that comment. "That's _so_ besides the point." Kida then reached over to try to smack me in the head.

"Come see me in a few years and I might be able to give you something." Elsa took my hand again and slid them off the table to give us some privacy.

"Until then, just keep texting her." I shrugged a shoulder at him. "Simply change each others' names." Our suggestions seemed to get through to him and in no time, he was all smiles once again.

"Hey, where's Frankenteen?" Kida asked after patting Olaf's head sympathetically. "I only noticed because I'm hungry and I need him to get me a _Churro._ "

"He went to steal Sen away for lunch." I answered on an incredulous snicker. _Really, Kida?_ "How romantic." Batting my eyes at Elsa who shook her head and squeezed my hand pointedly. _I_ had no problem stealing the love of my life away, but what good was that when _I_ didn't even have my own ride? And I wasn't about to have her drive when she was the one getting treated out. _Doubt she'd let me drive too._

"Then I'll follow his lead." Kida turned to Olaf with an infectious smile that made him raise a suspicious brow at her. "Olaf Ramsey? Even though we're pretty much _both_ spoken for, would you do me the honor of being my Valentine today so we don't have to join the singles crowd?"

With almost no hesitation, I saw his mood brighten even further and it had me relaxing more. "Sure, Kida." Olaf held his hand out for her to take and when she did, she pulled him up like he weighed nothing.

"Good. Now let's go so you can buy me lunch."

"W-wait, what?!"

"I think _Salt Grass_ is the ideal place for romantic lunches, right?" Kida thought aloud and was already leading him away from the table.

"No! Do I look like _Bill Gates_ to you?" Olaf yelped, spinning back around to give us a 'help me!' look.

Elsa and I could only wave at the poor guy with sheepish smiles.

* * *

After school.

On my way to the boardroom, I didn't check to see if the place was empty before I closed the door and once I turned around, I found Gerda and Hans leaning over Elsa at her desk. Six pairs of eyes snapped up while I nearly froze on the spot. _Way to go, Anna._ But at least I wasn't professing my undying love to her that time.

"Why'd you close the door?" Gerda decided to ask first.

"So the _chemistry_ doesn't get out." I couldn't stop the snicker from leaving me as I began sauntering toward the tables so I could put my bag down. Gerda and Elsa shook their heads with soft giggles and Hans just had a blank look on his face. "'Sup Hans?" I nodded at him. Try as I may, I had no choice but to see him with his delivery boy hat on and that had me biting my lip to keep from laughing.

"Hey, Anna." He had the decency to reply and then fervently kept his gaze away like he knew exactly what I was thinking. Only, I wouldn't go teasing him. Not while the other two were in the same room. "So, Elsa, if you'll just sign off on these budget forms, we'll be out of your hair." From the way he said that made a grin curl onto my lips regardless.

"Got a hot date tonight, Han Solo?" Came my question that made blue eyes flicker warningly to me before she pulled his stack of papers in front of her. _That's a better question than the one I really wanted to ask._ I brought out my bag of candy and popped a few in my mouth as I awaited his answer.

"Actually, _yeah._ " Hans finally had the courage to look at me. Sternly, at that. "Her name's Violet."

Before I could respond, Gerda cut in. "Yeah, you two should come out to the _Surf Shack_ tonight _._ " She smiled hopefully at me. "I hear Ariel Simmons' parents rented the whole place out just for her and she's been giving out invitations all day."

"I'd rather have a root canal." I muttered, yelping when a waded up piece of paper was thrown directly at my face by Elsa.

" _Comportati bene._ " Came her warning tone that had me coughing awkwardly.

"I-I meant, 'no thank you, Gerda _._ But we already have plans for tonight. '" I fixed an unconvincing grin on my face for Gerda and then waved them away so I could eat more of my candy. _Whoops._

"Did you understand that?" Hans looked from me to her. "Because I've been trying to learn for the last three years."

I let the reasons behind that statement slide and answered his question. "No. But I get the gist." Sitting back on the table after tossing the paper in the trash. "What about you, Gerda? Got a Valentine?" I decided to change the topic lest I get more paper thrown at me. Or I got another sliver of possessive jealousy.

On the other hand, I knew Gerda had no ill-will and that she probably genuinely wanted me to try to make amends with Ariel Simmons, but there was _no way_ I was going to be the first one to cave. _She started it, so SHE can apologize first._

"Unless you count my extra set of hands, _Kai_ , a date. Then, yes." She giggled, bringing me out of my thoughts. It was a good thing too because I suddenly felt like I was all over the place. _Sheesh!_

"I would say that Kai's better than nothing." I returned her laugh. "Wouldn't want you joining the 'Too Young to be Bitter Club now." I'd meant that as a joke, but when her attitude changed slightly, I knew something else was going to stem from it. _Again. Whoops!_

"You realize that Michelle Hackford only started that club because of _you_ , right?" Gerda took a step away from the desk to stand next to me with a Cheshire grin on her face. My own dropped in confusion, but when she put a hand on my shoulder, I felt the urge to face-palm. _No way._ " _You're_ the one that took Elsa off the market and don't pretend that you didn't know about the trail of broken hearts left all over the school because of it."

 _Say what now?_ My hand came up to push through my fringe."And who authorized that club to be made? Doesn't something like that require at least five people?" _Like there wasn't five that were dramatic enough to step up._ I still asked on a snicker because I _so_ wasn't sorry about that and it was ridiculous! One time I had the pleasure of walking by the particular classroom said club met in, only to see two lone girls that were eating donuts and I kind of had to feel bad for them then. But now that I knew the real reason why they looked how they did...I didn't quite have the same opinion. Still though, they didn't have to give up after Elsa and I started dating. _Maybe I should have a word with them._

"When I approved the club, she said it was for something completely different." Elsa's smooth voice brought our attention to her desk. "I had no idea they would change the name."

"Oh, _wow._ " I buried my face in my hands, unable to stop the short burst of laughter from escaping.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some of Elsa's fangirls converted to _you_ once she leaves." Hans snorted as he gathered the papers Elsa was done with before turning to give me one of those charming smiles that probably made an angel cry somewhere up there.

"How fun!" Gerda's enthusiasm about that situation made me cringe both inwardly and physically.

" _No_. Not fun." I barked. "I don't know how Elsa does it, but _I'm_ not willing to put up with all those poor things."

"Shall we place a bet?" Gerda asked. "I'll be in touch with Elsa at Corona and I'm wagering that you'll be running away from them in no time at all."

"Save it and get outta here." I chuckled, hopping off the table to playfully push at her shoulder.

"I'll take you up on that bet." Hans passed by me to offer his arm to Gerda and the two grinned deviously at me while on their way out.

"Oh, whatever!" I scoffed.

Once the door closed again, I let out an exasperated groan that had Elsa giggling softly behind me. Stepping forward, it was my turn to lean over her desk to see what she was up to. Nothing. She was simply sitting there with her hands folded neatly together.

"Looking for something?" Was her question as her eyes caught mine. We exchanged a small laugh before I rounded the desk to stand beside her.

"Nice to see that you actually went to all your afternoon classes." I grinned, gesturing to the vase that was now filled with water and six other Jasmine flowers on the corner of her desk. Next to it was a very pretty decorated box that hadn't been opened yet.

"You kind of told me to." Her hand reached out to prod at mine until I captured it as I leaned against her desk.

"I have no memory of that." I evaded, making her smirk knowingly at me. "Okay, I did _not_ show up late to every single one of my classes late to have someone _else_ walking around with your flowers." Keeping her hand with my other hand, I brought my free one up to brush at the first one I'd given her. "I had to make sure you got them all.

"You were even sweet enough to ask where I sat in each class."

"They were all more than willing." I gently lead my fingers down her smooth cheek. "Said something about you resembling a blue moon?" Blue eyes snapped up to mine. "You know, extremely rare, but once it shows up, it's a very big deal?"

" _Sta zitta."_ Elsa partly growled and stood to cover my mouth. "I'm not that bad."

Taking her hand away from my mouth, I blew raspberries before fixing her with a skeptical look. "You're _so very_ bad, Elsa Mariani. You just don't know it yet." Without warning, I pulled her to me and buried my face in her neck with a snarl. "And where do you get off telling me to 'shut up,' huh?"

Elsa's hands came up to grasp at my shoulders as a awkward giggle left her mouth. "A-Anna, stop!" She pleaded helplessly through her laughs while her hands tried to back me off to no avail.

I didn't stop. It was too delicious. Instead, I continued my assault on her tempting neck for a few more seconds until I knowingly nipped at a particular sensitive spot that had her body stiffening in a flash. A devilish grin coveted my lips as I brought my lips down on it, only to open my mouth at the last second to place a hot kiss there. _Now_ the hands on my shoulders twitched and a soft sigh escaped.

"Still want me to stop?" I murmured against her flesh, letting the tip of my tongue lave along the same patch of skin.

"Yes...no..." She breathed.

"Which is it, my lovely?" I fought the urge to chuckle at her adorableness and lead my hands around her back to her shoulders so I could pull her even closer.

" _Baciami_." She whispered instead, making me lean back to gaze into those endless pools of cerulean. I swear I could have drowned in them without even knowing it. What's more? I was completely fine with that.

With a soft sigh, I leaned in to press a lingering kiss to her lips. It was long enough for my hands to slip down her shoulder blades, around to her ribs to her hips, and back around to her lower back. _These stupid blazers._ I inwardly cursed, but when Elsa captured my lower lip between hers and began to suck on it, I barely remembered what I was peeved about. A low groan left my mouth and when I decided to try to turn us, I found out too late that the desk was closer than I thought.

"Ow." Elsa let go of my lip to look down at the desk since it seemingly attacked her.

"Everything's too big here." I growled, picking at my blazer. " _These_ things, your desk-" Plush lips cut me off for another short second before she reached over to grab the box beside her flowers.

"It's okay, _Gattina._ " She giggled. "I would rather be somewhere a little more private anyways."

"Oh, so you were just waiting for an opening?" I crossed my arms, but swallowed thickly when she sent me a heated look. One that suggested that my question had a double-meaning. _Mercy._ I cleared my throat and instead of letting my head run away with itself, I leaned in to brush my fingers against the flower in her hair. "Legend says that a Tuscan gardener received a Jasmine plant from Persian traders and he planted it in his private garden." While I spoke, Elsa's attention wavered from opening the box.

"Go on." She set it down and I plucked another flower out of the water so I could hold it between us.

"He refused to let anyone cut the beautiful flowers from his garden." I slowly let the petals brush along her nose and then to caress her full lips. "One day, he presented a branch of the Jasmine flowers to his beloved and she was so taken with the fragrance that she agreed to marry him." Leaning in, I left the flower there to be squeezed between our lips before pulling it lower. "Thus began the Tuscan tradition of including Jasmine in the bridal bouquet." My lips captured hers once again.

Elsa then tilted her head to deepen the kiss and I felt her tongue slip between my teeth. In no way would I deny that, so I let my arms wrap around her neck as my tongue instantly met hers in a firey dance. They teased, stroked, slid along each other and my mind exploded all over again. At her addicting taste, the intense warmth of her body, the insane softness of her hair and the maddening way her own hands held me, pressed into me, just plain _wanted_ me... _Freyja!_

My knees nearly gave out when she suddenly moaned into my mouth. I swear, I felt it like warm caramel oozing through my veins, drowning me in sugary desire, in the heady power of our attraction. All too soon, she pulled away and I found that our breathing was as hard as ever and in the freezer burn that was her gorgeous eyes, I could see her concern about still being somewhere not-so-private.

"I should," A breathless chuckle escaped me. "I-I should talk about flowers more often."

 _Smack!_

"Ow!" I yelped, holding onto my shoulder with wide eyes. "What was that for?"

"You know why." Elsa smirked, ignoring my hurt look as she returned to opening her box of chocolate-covered fruit.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go on opening your present while I bruise up over here." I was about to pout dramatically when she placed a pineapple between her perfect teeth and cupped my face. My eyes widened as she leaned in to press the treat to my lips and as soon as I tasted and felt the sweet juices flowing from the bitten fruit, I hastily opened my mouth to receive the other half. " _Mmm._ " Although, before Elsa could lean away, I instantly cupped her face too and had the pleasure of feeling her body stiffen again when my tongue darted out to clean part of her chin and her lower lip from residual sweetness.

" _Anna."_ Elsa practically groaned, but in no way was it anywhere near annoyed. Quite the opposite and it released a new bout of butterflies in my stomach.

" _Elsa!_ " I mocked after smacking my lips on hers once more. "Those are seriously delicious!" My taste buds were dancing with joy and the fact that Elsa had shared it with me like she did? I wouldn't ever look at chocolate-covered pineapples the same way again.

"I should give this to you before anything else happens." Said girl brought her bag up and didn't hesitate to hand me a wrapped gift with a tasty kiss to my cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day." _She smells sooo good!_ Her already intoxicating scent mixed with chocolate was simply addictive to me and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her until the sun came up.

But. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you said you had another one for me." Taking the package from her hands, I didn't deny a slightly sticky chaste kiss to her lips. Now, I wasn't even really sure how this day was supposed to work, considering I never gave it a second thought before. _Like, are gifts like this one appropriate?_ I wasn't sure, but I knew our relationship was pretty much against the norm, so why not just be against the norm on some other things?

It all didn't matter when I saw the red and black mask that appeared out of the wrapping.

"You didn't." I gaped at Elsa before ripping the rest of the wrapping off.

"I did." She self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and a cute blush presented itself on her cheeks.

"You got me a game?" I had to ask since it wasn't registering in my brain. "And _Deadpool_ to boot _?_ "

"I just really wasn't sure what to get you."

"I would have been fine with a hug and kiss."

Elsa actually snorted and then slowly turned me to face her. "What do you take me for?"

"Thank you." I blurted, making her chuckle because I was all over the place again. If anything, I wouldn't be for a while.

"You're welcome, _Gattina._ " She stepped in front of me so she could slide her arms around my neck and I didn't hesitate to squeeze her up in a grateful hug.

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" I asked on another breathless chuckle.

She pulled back to whisper with a playful glint in those eyes. "Tell me again."

"I love you." I stated dreamily, closing the distance between our lips without a second thought.

* * *

 _A/N: Whew! Wasn't sure if I would get this chapter done or not. Life is wild sometimes! Well, either way it's here now and I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading/reviewing and whatnot._

 _Fun fact: Anna's little excerpt titled 'Gray' was an actual story I tried writing some time ago^^ (It was some sort of soulmate prompt I skimmed over in tumblr.) Anyway. Until next time._

 _Tootles~_


	37. Roots Before Branches

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

My ear perked at the sound of two familiar voices arguing from behind me. Sneaking a glance over my shoulder, I saw none other than Fallon and Ariel seated in a corner booth. The fact that they were arguing as loud as they were made it all too obvious to anyone who just happened to be passing by. _So much for a discrete relationship._ My mind groaned as I leaned casually on the counter behind me, waiting for my order to be called. _Of all days Dad wants a sub sandwich, I get stuck in the same place as her._

It was also hard _not_ to eavesdrop on their argument. (Not like I actually wanted to in the first place.)

"I understand that. But an education from _Debartolo PA_ will give you options in the future." Fallon continued, trying to hold on to the redhead's hand to no avail. "Broadway is a fickle business-"

" _Ugh_ you sound like my mom!" Ariel snatched her hand away.

"I-I'm not trying to." Fallon whimpered. "But, you really need to be smart about this, Ari."

"Look, I'm not interested in spending huge amounts of money on a school whose classes I probably won't even get to attend and a dean who doesn't like _or_ support me!"

"That's not what it is-"

"You don't know what it's like to have parents like mine!" Ariel's tone turned bitter enough to make me inwardly cringe. Granted, I didn't know much about her, but there were enough rumors going around that would make anyone believe her parents were as strict as could be. Scary, even. _Now_ I had to wonder how they reacted when Elsa became the student council president instead of Ariel. _Nope. Don't wanna think about it._

"Please don't do this." Fallon tried one last time with watery eyes.

"You're afraid." She snapped. "You told me that you would do anything for me and when I actually need you, you go and stab me in the back by taking my parents' side."

"I'm on _your_ side!" Fallon's voice broke.

"I'm sure you are." Ariel snarled before practically jumping up and storming off.

I couldn't help but turn to watch her leave. _What's her problem?_ My name still hadn't been called and even if it had been, I wouldn't have been able to hear it over that commotion. Looking back, I could see that Fallon had covered her face and was silently crying. Why? I wasn't sure, but I knew my first instinct was to go try to comfort her. Unfortunately, I couldn't because there was a fire in my veins that had me nearly running after Ariel first. _How could she just-?_ I didn't even bother to finish that thought as I burst out onto the sidewalk. My eyes narrowed in budding anger when I caught sight of a dash of red that disappeared behind the first block and it was all I could do to _not_ run after her.

Keeping myself calm was quite the feat, but I figured I could cut her off somewhere if she was headed back towards her house. As much as I didn't like to admit it, I knew exactly where she lived. (At one point Kristoff had inadvertently lead us there since she lived near Sen and the genius accidentally knocked on _her_ door instead of Sen's.) Although, before I could get any further with any other plans, the gruesome sound of punches landing made my attention turn into one of the alleyways I was getting ready to pass.

 _"Help!"_ A frail voice called out amoungst the blows. _"HELP!"_

Squinting a little more against the dimly lit ally, I suddenly saw a glimpse of _Olaf_ get punched right in the face. I didn't even have a complete thought as I instinctively sprinted down the ally with my blood already roaring in my ears. There were three of them, but only two had Olaf on the ground and were now mercilessly kicking him.

"HEY!" I bellowed, not slowing until I bashed into one of the idiots. "Get off of him!" I snarled like a wild animal, sending an uppercut to the one who still had a hold on my best friend. He jerked away for a moment and I hurriedly went to help Olaf stand up. _What the hell?!_ Stumbling to his feet, Olaf leaned heavily on me and I got to see that his face was pretty messed up, yet he wasn't on the brink of collapsing. Just a little winded.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The one guy that wasn't doing anything signaled the other two to stop ahead of time so they wouldn't attack us. "This doesn't concern you, Sweetheart. Keep walking." He rumbled in such an arrogant tone that it raised hairs on the back of my neck.

" _He_ is my concern." I snapped, holding Olaf to me as he whimpered weakly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Anna, you need-" Olaf started to say.

Before I knew it, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head and we both crumbled to the pavement in a heap. _What the-?_ A wave of dizziness washed over me and I heard a ringing in my ears. Olaf tried to come to my aid that time, only to get knocked away from my side by the one I'd bashed into earlier.

"I said: get away from him." I managed to growl and just as I moved to do just that, the guy that spoke first knelt in front of us and snagged my chin between his unforgiving fingers, snapping my head up until I was nose to nose with him. His dark eyes held so much malice that I felt a tremor tear through me.

But it wasn't fear.

"You tell that son of a whore _Marshal_ that if he doesn't get me my money by next week, we're going to-"

Gritting my teeth in fury, I instantly propelled myself forward, smashing him right directly on the nose with a powerful headbutt, making him rear back with a howl of pain. Barely having anytime to celebrate, I was forced backwards and once I was on my back, one of the other guys clambered onto my stomach, landing his elbow right across my face. Still, I tried to fight him off by thrusting my palm up into his nose, which injured him of course, but it wasn't enough to make him back off. Another punch to my face finally had me black out a bit and I felt my body go limp as the pain shot everywhere else, leaving me without any more adrenaline to stay awake.

"Let's get out of here!"

The sound of tires squealing were second to the last thing I heard.

"Anna? _Anna!_ "

Olaf's frantic voice was the last.

* * *

 _I'm floating through a sea_

 _A sea of heads and I realize after a moment that it's a crowd.' What are they gathered for?' My mind wavers because the laws of gravity don't seem to pertain to me. I'm not sure what's going on with me, or my body, but it doesn't matter when a gust of white blows around the people below. It makes me curious enough so I hover right over the crowd to see that they've positioned themselves around what appears to be a match of some sort._

 _'A match? What is this? Where am I?' My mind is still failing to come up with anything that makes sense, but when the crowd begins to part, my attention is pulled back. The first thing I see when I turn is the mouth of some gigantic beast that causes me to yelp in fear. What, with its razor sharp teeth, red tongue is lolling out and its breath materializing in front of us as it pants. Fortunately, it's a matter of seconds when the furry creature suddenly decides to pass right through my body and only then do I remember that I'm more than likely just a ghost. Some sort of apparition. I'm still not sure, but it doesn't matter because I suddenly see myself._

 _I know whoever it is that's riding the creature is me. Her hair is the kind of fiery red that would dazzle a person with a single wave. Then again, perhaps it was my mother? There's an instant where I think that she really is my mother, but that doesn't matter when I see that the woman had just dismounted the huge creature. Gracefully at that. I'm entranced so much and once she turns to send someone a warm smile behind her, I'm met with all-too familiar eyes. Those eyes. It IS me._

 _"I could sense your worry, my Queen. That storm was almost a challenge to get through." Her familiar voice reverberates around me and I have to wonder who she's talking to. 'Queen, huh?' Following the fond gaze of those teal orbs, I find myself staring right into wide, gorgeous eyes that fills me to the brim with warmth. They swallow me up, wrap securely around me and whisper to me that everything is going to be alright. Elsa._

 _"I never doubted you." Her sweet voice nearly paralyzes me. She is the one I love. I know it. And the one in chainmail behind me knows this too. I see that it's all in the way our eyes caress one another; as if nothing else matters in the world. The attraction they have is insane and I'm sure even a blind person could see that._

 _Without another word from either of them, I watch myself wink at her before turning to strut her way to the fighting circle. I had no idea what I was doing there in the first place, but that didn't stop me from hovering closer to find someone in armor holding up his hand between her and another man. "We know the rules." He began in a stern voice. "NO killing. The fight will be over when one of you yields, you're knocked from the circle, or when the match is called. Is that clear?"_

 _"Got that, girl?" The guy who was opposite of the prodded. He's an animal. Three times the size of the redhead and I have to wonder just what on earth they are doing. 'Is this a dual? Why am I in chainmail?' The answers came to me soon after I thought them, causing a rush of excitement to pulse through me as I honed back in on what was going on._

 _A playful smile crossed the redhead's lips. "Crystal clear, your highness." The arrogant way she'd said it made the bulky man's face redden in fury._

 _"Ready!" The announcer guy stepped back in preparation._

 _From my spot above the heads of hair, I saw the redhead's opponent crouch and curl his massive fingers around the hilt of his sword. On the other hand, the redhead's eyes carefully took note of the stance and shifted so her right leg was behind her in a T stance. One could see that she'd opted to keep her weight on her toes and unlike the burly opponent, her fingers barely touched the handle of her own weapon._

 _"FIGHT!" The guy threw his arm down and got out of the way._

 _My eyes widened as the opponent let out a warrior's cry before lunging at the redhead. That flash of playfulness hadn't left those teal eyes and instead of taking his imminent hit head on, she merely spun out of the way, using her heel as a pivot point. The crowd gasped along with me when the redhead drew her sword. Only when she full on spanked her opponent with the flat of her blade did everyone burst into laughter._

 _"My apologies!" The redhead chuckled, twirling the sword elegantly around in her hands. "But I saw a child acting up and took it upon myself to correct him."_

 _"Fight me!" The opponent snarled. He launched himself once more, swinging his gigantic sword around haphazardly. Yet, the redhead dodged every single blow effortlessly until she was backed up to the edge of the circle. The opponent glared dangerously, letting all who could see, the wild look in his eyes. He was gone. He'd lost the capacity to think clearly._

 _"Come and get me." Teal eyes glimmered in amusement and just like that, she used her free hand to push the oncoming blade away. The guy's direction was thrown off as she twirled on the balls of her feet and once he was stumbling forward, she grasped the hilt of her sword. In one swift motion, she only smacked him with the flat of her sword and that extra force landed him safely outside the circle. Right on his face._

 _"WINNER!" The one who started the match came over to hold the redhead's hand high over her head. Cheers erupted from all around, but that didn't matter to her. What actually mattered, was the woman she'd turned to so she could give an earnest smile. Those unforgettable blue eyes shined with delight and she didn't hesitate to send a kiss to the winner._

 _In all the excitement, the redhead didn't get to see the sore loser spring up from his spot on the ground until he had his sword drawn once more and was practically ready to saw her in half. "You wench!" He exclaimed furiously, pushing the sword deeper, past the chainmail and I suddenly felt the sharpness slice right past me. "I'll teach you to make a fool of me!" He then swiped his sword to the left and thrust her to the ground. Hard._

 _Pain shot throughout her body and mine as she collided to the unforgiving frozen ground, making me inadvertently grasp at my shoulder, more so from the impact than my side. 'CRAP!' The redhead rolled onto her back and all at once, I was right where I was supposed to be. Back in my body. Only now, I with all my entirety, I was immediately met with the sight of his terrifying sword plummeting down to meet my face-_

"ST-STOP!" I cried out and threw my arms out instinctively as if I were clutching a sword so I could block the oncoming attack, nearly punching Elsa in the face while I was at it.

"H-hey! It's okay." She yelped, frantically grasping my wrists and holding them down so I wouldn't try to continue fighting what wasn't actually there. "I'm here, _Gattina._ " Blue eyes filled my vision and I felt myself deflate instantly. The unknown man's heavily bearded, battle-worn face faded into the background of a more familiar womanly one.

"Elsa?" I asked hoarsely, trying to sit up, only to have her stop me from doing so. It was a good thing too because I felt the rush to my head and suddenly had a fit of dizziness mixed with slight nausea. _Whoa._

As she gently laid me back down, I couldn't help but notice how _broken_ she looked when she adjusted herself beside me. She was lying beside me. Looking around, I couldn't help but notice the weird lighting of the room, the unmistakable smell of a hospital, strange _beeping_ noises and a lingering pain on certain parts of my body. _What...on earth happened? Why's she-?_ Those blue eyes were uncomfortably tired and laced with worry. As was her usually gentle voice. "Careful." She sniffled, making me furrow my brow in confusion for half a second more until the memories all came crashing back like a ton of bricks.

"Is Olaf okay?" My voice sounded terrible. Like I'd been gargling razor blades.

"He's got a few bruised ribs, a broken nose and two broken fingers, but he'll pull through." There was a strained pause that already had me preparing for what she was going to say. "What the heck were you thinking, Anna?" Elsa buried her face in my shoulder as she barely held on to the hand that wasn't hooked up or throbbing. "Th-they could have-"

"I would have done anything to get them away from him." I answered in a hardened tone. It was _so_ good to hear he was alright, but I had to wonder why he was mixed up with them in the first place. That question was still unanswered and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. _No one threatens or beats up my friends and gets away with it._ In my head, I was already on my way to _Djali's_ to get Emmie to see if she could help me out.

"Anna, you're in the _hospital_ with an orbital rim fracture and a level two concussion." She barely contained her frustration and had to look away from me. Even going as far as getting off the bed to cross her arms around herself and keeping her back to me. A sudden guilty pang twisted in my gut, making my anger fuse out a little.

After a moment of tense silence, I let out a soft sigh before reaching my free hand over to touch her waist. She stiffened immediately but didn't move away. Which was a good thing because I probably would have fallen off the bed if I'd reached any further. "Elsa, I'm sorry. I-I wasn't-" Just as I was working on a better explanation and apology, there was a light rap on the door at the front of the room.

"Hey, you're awake." Another deeper voice made Elsa and I look towards the door to see my dad letting himself in. Quickly turning back around, Elsa took my hand to press a loving kiss to it and then she prepared to leave the room with a polite nod at him. Of course, he thanked her for watching me as she closed the door. _I'll need to fix that ASAP._

Once she was gone, the only sounds there were in that small room for a few moments were from the monitors beeping and when my dad turned to finally face me, I had no choice but to feel ashamed. If only for a moment because he looked so much older in that instant. _I_ was the reason for all that worry. He wasn't supposed to look like he'd seen a ghost. That wasn't my strong, caring, loving, smiling father. _Still._

"What were you thinking?" He asked with a mixture of disappointment and fear, making my jaw twitch. "I mean, I know what you were thinking, but-" Shaking his head, he cast his blazing jade eyes at me. "Who do you think you are?"

"Olaf was in trouble." I stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If anything, I knew not to fight fire with fire and so far, _he_ had steam rolling off of him in waves. In no way did I need to be gasoline either. _Keep it cool, Crescent._

"They could have had a gun!" My dad snapped.

 _They probably did._ But there was nothing new I could say because we _both_ knew that. "What would you have done, dad? Run?" I tried not to snap back to no avail. This was _Olaf_ we were talking about and I needed him to understand that.

"I was in the military, Anna." He tried to justify himself.

"I've had training from you." I countered, ignoring the budding pain in my left eye. In fact, it felt like I really couldn't see out of it. My swollen eyelid was in the way.

"You're not a so-"

"And _that_ attitude is the kind that makes those idiots think that they can do whatever the hell they want." I pointed out stubbornly, knowing just what he was going to say to me. _I know I'm not._ "But, dad, Olaf is my _best friend_." I stressed. "Don't you stand there and tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing for your military buddies. For Oak."

The fire was still there as well as a few steps in pacing. "You could have called the police." He then paused to rub at his eyes tiredly. After a few monitor beeps passed, he looked at me once more. "Look, I'm not saying that I'm _not_ proud of what you did, but, Anna? Use your head!" Came his growl along with a _c'mon!_ gesture.

"I did." I chuckled despite myself and the atmosphere as I remembered the pathetic way that idiot, whoever he was, cried out like a wimp. "I broke his nose with it." Was my added smirk.

"Do you realize how luck you are?!" My dad's angered voice roared over mine, making me shrink a bit.

I might have cowered a bit, but I wasn't about to back down from something I believed in either. He didn't raise me that way. "I seem to remember you talking about one of your tours with Oaken." I kept my eyes trained on him, even when he glared at me. That look told me _not_ to go there, but it was too late. "I _know_ you can't really hear with your left ear and you can't feel anything in your three left fingers because you pushed him out of the way of a grenade that went off. Were _you_ thinking when you wanted to save Oak? _Numerous_ times?" Jade eyes narrowed further, but he didn't say anything. "There was only one thing on your mind and that same thing was the one I had in mind when I saw Olaf getting beaten like a piece of meat. I needed to do _something._ "

Suddenly, I was fired up all over again as I thought about his terrified expression. The pain he'd been in. Humiliation and horror after he knew it was _I_ that came to his rescue. "I mean, it was _Olaf!"_ I huffed incredulously. "He is the sweetest, kindest kid _anyone_ has ever known! That guy couldn't hurt a thing intentionally even if he wanted to." I ignored the pain from my IV when I clenched my fist. "Why him?" I sputtered, feeling a few tears slide down my cheeks. " _Why?_ " I couldn't wrap my head around it, regardless that I knew they had beat him as incentive to get to his older brother.

"...I don't know." My dad still answered, drawing his eyes away like he was personally responsible for the whole thing.

I brought my free hand up so I could stare at my slightly bruised palm. "Me neither." I felt obligated to say. "And I don't know what his stupid brother is getting himself into, but he had better be careful because if they go after Olaf and I again, there is _no_ way in hell I'm backing down from any of them." Huffing out another shaky breath, I turned my head away to glare at the wall. "I know what my story is. And you know I would do anything for my friends. Elsa. _You._ Even if it meant putting myself in danger."

Before I could go on, I heard his softened voice. "I get that." Sitting down in the chair Elsa had probably vacated to lie with me, my dad caught my eyes once again. More sincere that time. Actually, there was a _lot_ more that was said in that long stretch of quiet. _I wish your mom was here. She knew how to handle you better than I ever could. I don't know what to say. I want you to not be so reckless. What would she tell you? I am so afraid right now. I'm such an idiot. How did I let this happen? Just look at you._

It was heartbreaking to see him like that.

There was absolutely _no_ way I was going to let him go on like that. Not now. Not ever. "It's okay, dad." I whispered, reaching out to him. That time his handsome face crumbled as he took my hand in both of his. _Odin_ he was shaky. "I love you, dad." I did my best to squeeze his hand reassuringly, only to have him grip mine harder like he was willing all out pain to go away. I bit my lip. My tough fortress of a daddy had his walls breached and I hated to see that. I hated to be the reason for it.

"Y-your beautiful face." His strong voice broke and he held my hand against his forehead.

I needed him to stop torturing himself over my impulsiveness.

That was something I needed to work on if I was going to get through this. "Think I'll have some sort of scar?" I had to ask, smiling lightly when he chuckled. The question took him off guard and that meant that I was on my way to making him see a brighter side than what he was seeing right then. "I'm hurt, dad." I sighed, waving our hands from side to side through his unkempt hair. "Just not on the inside and you know what?" Waiting for him to lift his head, I gave him a genuine smile. "I know exactly who I am now."

"Who's that, The _Terminator?_ " He sniffled and I couldn't stop the snicker that left me.

"Your _daughter_ , daddy." I brought his hand to my lips so I could kiss it. "People say I look a lot like mom and while that's partly true, I have _your_ fighting spirit. I have _your_ heart, your passion and _yes_ , your stubbornness." I smirked when the realization presented itself in his pretty-colored eyes. "I'm you on the inside." _And that's why you don't know how to handle me._ I thought fondly.

He wiped his eyes and then grinned widely at me. " _Please_ don't do this again, Panda." Watery jade eyes then bored pleadingly into mine with a hint of strength. _That_ little burst of life was all I was asking for from him. "Unless I'm there too. We'll fight 'em together." And just like that, he was the strongest, most respected man I'd ever known again. _There's the man called My Dad._ "I love you, Anna." Were his whispered words as he leaned in to kiss my forehead.

"I love you too, Dad. Don't ever think that I don't."

"That's my line."

There was another quiet knock at the door that had us both turning to see who came in and I was surprised to see Letti. It had both of us pulling ourselves together and wiping the tears from our eyes in no time at all. That was to stay private to the two of us. " _Stai bene, tesoro?_ " She stepped further into the room when my dad gave her permission with a gruff clearing of his throat and wave of his hand. But, I had to associate that gesture with one of a Lieutenant Colonel telling his officer to tell him news. _Smooth, dad._

"Y-your face." She gasped slightly as she came closer.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked like I didn't know.

"It's completely the same." She snarked, making me bark out a laugh at the expense of pain in my face. "But since it looks a little lopsided, should I smack your other side to straighten it out?"

"Hey, now." My dad chuckled, but there was still a protective edge in his voice.

"She's joking, dad." I waved him off.

" _A cosa stavi pensando?_ " She went on. "First you give my daughter a heart attack, then she tells me she took you and Olaf to the hospital, giving _me_ a heart attack and then Ben and I get one when _I_ tell him!"

"Letizia-" My dad began.

"I'm sorry." I tried to give her an earnest smile. "It won't happen again, but Letti?" I asked, causing her to pause so she could look at me.

"What?"

"Hi." I waved. "And I'm alright, in case you were wondering." Was my added comment that made her shake her head at me.

"How impolite of me." She cleared her throat awkwardly and reached up to push her hair behind her ear. "That's really good to hear." She breathed. "So good. And a hello to you too, Ben."

"Hello." He greeted with a wave too. "Glad you made it."

"It was tough to get away from my desk, but if my tesoro is here, so am I." She nodded. " _Someone_ has to make sure Elsa eats and sleeps." A wink was sent my way, making me scoff incredulously.

"Well, don't you know just how to make me feel _so_ special?" I pursed my lips at her since I had the feeling I couldn't really roll my eyes like I so very wanted to right then. But the smile we shared with one another dispersed any unwanted tension and I couldn't help but think that I was getting better at handling her on my own. " _Anyway._ We're civilized again." I pointed out, but was now more interested in what she was holding behind her back. I got my answer when she pulled out what looked like an edible arrangement, complete with a card and everything. _Right._ I suddenly remembered that the last normal thing I was doing was waiting in line for sandwiches that one evening and as if on cue, my stomach growled. Loud enough for the two to laugh as my dad made room for her to bring another chair over. "Can I even eat anything?" I asked when she settled.

"Sweetheart, this is for your dad." Letti snickered and handed the delectable bouquet of fruit to him, making me frown a bit. "I wasn't sure if you could eat anything so soon, so I also brought you a smoothie." She added, pulling said smoothie from within the wrapping of the fruits and chocolate-cover fruit.

"I don't see how that's supposed to help me." I nearly pouted, but didn't stop myself from taking the cup when she offered it.

"Trust me. You've never had one of _these_ smoothies before." Her sapphire-colored eyes held her usual mischievous glint and that tipped me off to what it was that she'd given me. Authenticity.

"Sweet. So, _you_ made it then?" I opened the lid to take a whiff. _Yum._

"Take it easy, Panda." My dad looked like he was ready to fall over himself if I even had the slightest look of discomfort. "You just came back from morphine land not too long ago."

"That would explain the bizarre dream I had." It all made sense now. I gave them a lopsided smile before very carefully taking a drink. "This is amazing, Letti." I barely retained a groan of delight. Seriously, it had to be one of the best smoothies I'd ever had. Or maybe I was just hungry enough to really appreciate it.

"You're welcome, _tesoro._ " She then stood up to press a gentle kiss to my most likely uninjured cheek.

* * *

A few days later.

Lying on my back, I stared blankly at the dark ceiling until a movement made me instinctively bring my hand up to run it through the thick, sweet smelling locks under my chin. Elsa had come over to bring me my homework and easily ended up falling asleep with me. I'd woken up sometime ago and judging from the looks of lighting outside, it was more than likely after eight-thirty. _Whoops._

"Are you awake, _Gattina?_ " She murmured against my chest.

"Yes." I replied, fixing a smile on my face as she shifted enough to hold herself at eye-level with me. "Sleep good?"

"I'd like to keep sleeping." Placing a kiss to my nose, she settled beside me and held her head up with her hand. "But I don't know if I can stay the night."

"Dad's already asleep." I lazily turned my head towards her, making her sit up when I winced.

"Do you need more pain medicine?" Her eyes worried instantly and I fought the urge to roll my own.

"You don't need to baby me." I stuck my tongue out at her. "How else am I supposed to toughen back up?" Without warning, Elsa leaned in to press a meaningful kiss to my lips.

"I'm not sure I want you to toughen back up." She whispered against my lips.

"I'm sorry, Snow Paw." I brought my hands up to tangle in her hair, watching helplessly as her beautiful eyes clenched shut in what looked like pain. My stomach turned uneasily.

"I don't want to go to Corona." Elsa declared. "N-not while you're still at Arendelle. Not when you're susceptible to all of this junk without me being here."

We'd had this conversation already. The first night I got home, she'd come over and got the all clear from my dad to stay over and just as we could actually fall asleep, Olaf had showed up as well. I wouldn't forget the way he looked: battered and practically defeated. He'd apologized profusely, tried to place all the blame on himself, all while he looked a little worse than _I_ did. He'd told us that his brother was working with Detective Phoebus on trying to bring down of the newest drug dealers that had suddenly popped up down by the docks. Nasty fools who sold to anyone they pleased. Marshal had set up a meeting with the _Doc_ so he could try to get him to sell, only the plan went awry when the S.W.A.T. team showed up.

Long story short: Marshal was left with a pretty decent debt and that lead to everything else. _So much for talking to Emmie._ I'd thought. For now though, we were in the clear because there had been a recent breakthrough with the case and that helped me let it go a little more easily, but Olaf was still feeling bad about it. I got the feeling that he'd be like that for awhile longer before he eventually accepted it for what it was. I would help him when the time was right.

When Olaf went ahead and left was the first time Elsa had brought up the prospect of _not_ going to college. She chose to defer a year to wait for me to come with her. Of course, I quickly dismissed the idea and we had an argument about it that resulted in her leaving shortly after. The next day she came back and we made up. All the same, I was dancing around the way I _really_ felt about her going to college and was only very adamant because I felt I needed to be that way.

And now?

"Elsa, you can't _not_ go to college because of me." I trudged on, _finally_ getting to the part I didn't want to admit. "Do I _want_ you to go? _No._ Of course not." I didn't want to admit it because _I_ was supposed to be the tough one. I needed to be strong where she was weak, firm where she was flimsy, a rock when she needed me to be. But now, I felt I needed her to know so we could deal with it. So I could let her know I had feelings because the last thing I wanted was to push her away. "I know I haven't exactly...reacted-" forcing out a sigh. "At all, really, to the news. But I still can't let you do that, Snow Paw. I can't let you get stuck here because of me."

"I thought that was _my_ decision." She pushed a hand through her glorious hair.

"It should be _our_ decision." I countered. "Being in a relationship is about meeting each other halfway, right?"

"It doesn't seem like you're leaving me that much a choice." She stated. _Neither are you, Love._ my mind whispered to me, but I wasn't going to bring that up now. Right now she needed something else. (I didn't know my mouth would run away from me.)

"Do you love me?" I asked, ignoring the pain in my face so I could sit up and search through her misty eyes.

"Of _course_ I do, Anna." Those eyes widened like she couldn't believe I asked that. "Don't ever doubt my love for you."

"And I won't." I reached for her hand, squeezing it firmly. "Ever. But this is just the beginning for you." When she let out a soft sob, I brought her in for a hug. "You're going to do amazing things, Elsa Mariani and to get there, you're going to have to have these experiences on your own."

"Anna-"

"I can't be there to drag you down and I'm not saying that it'll be forever-"

"A-are you going to break up with me?" Pulling back suddenly, I felt like a stake went right through my heart as her eyes shimmered in horror.

"I'll be setting you free, my love." I couldn't stop the quiver from taking over my voice. Tears fell down my cheeks along with hers, but I held on to her firmly. _Crap. I said it._ Now that my most subconscious thoughts revealed themselves, I felt unbearably exposed. It was the last thing I ever wanted to think about and now that I'd blurted it, I couldn't stop the emotions from draining out of me. Fear, regret, among other negatives all presented themselves in front of me with chills that made my teeth chatter.

"N-no." She whimpered, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't _do_ this to me! I-I just found you..."

Those words. They would undo me even more if I wasn't careful. Everything in me screamed to just cave and stay with her forever. But. "We can adjust. Make compromises and honestly, what love ever came easily?" I sniffled and then placed my fingers under her chin to get her to look me in the eyes. "Hey. I'm not doing it now, okay? We still have time to be idiots together." I placed a kiss to her lips, promising myself just as much as I was her. "In fact, I shouldn't even have told you all of this because you'll probably find some way to-" a sudden sob left me. "T-to keep the decisions you've already made."

"How can I not?" Elsa chuckled disdainfully. "Now _every time_ I see you, I'm going to dread saying 'bye' to you. I'm not going to want to let you out of my sight." Her beautiful face crumbled again as she said that. My chest constricted at the sight. _I have to be strong. For me and her._

"Then _don't_ say 'bye' to me." I kissed her again. "Don't let me out of your sight." Another kiss. "Let's put all of this on hold until it's appropriate." Lifting her hand to my lips, I placed kisses all over her cool knuckles. "Right now I just want to lie here with the girl I'm so deeply in love with. I just want to hold you and kiss you until you leave for school in the morning."

"I-" She tried to say something, but I wouldn't let her. Anymore from her would break me and I didn't need that right now. I needed to rebuild the walls I'd been meticulously putting together since the day finally hit me that she was going to be graduating. Going on like nothing was out of place was the first step, but now I found myself having to start all over.

"I'm _not_ going to disappear, Elsa Mariani." I tried my best to give her a happy smile. "I'm not going anywhere." Pressing another loving kiss to her forehead, I then gestured to my dresser. "You can even change in here to make sure I don't." I meant that as a mild tension-breaker, only to see her smiling sadly at me. Tiredly.

"I love you, Anna." Elsa exhaled sharply before leaning back so she could reach under her shirt to unhook her bra. Once she tossed that on the floor, she gently lead me back down to the bed and as I settled, she merely took her jeans off. As she slid under the blankets with me, I wrapped my arms protectively around her and she didn't hesitate to nuzzle into me.

"I love you more, Snow Paw." I whispered into her sweet-smelling hair.

My last thought that night before we both slipped into slumber and dreams was that I needed to find somewhere she wouldn't be able to follow me. She just couldn't put her life on hold because of me. It made me sick to even think about it and in some way, I suppose it _was_ my fault. I mean, I had not gotten in so much trouble before, but as I thought about my dad, it wasn't hard to remember why. We were so alike in many ways and the majority of it had to do with the women in our lives. We were who we were because of them. _Mom._

 _Elsa..._

Right then, on the brink of falling into unconsciousness, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

* * *

 _A/N: Not sure I have anything else to add to this one other than it's nearly 4am and I can't sleep..._

 _Thank you for reading/reviewing and whatnot^^_

 _Tootles~_


	38. What's a Wawwy?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _'...and I know you too well, and I don't like you. But I love you. Please stay. No one make me more miserable so please don't go away. 'Cause I need you, always.'_

An unsuspecting weight presented itself on my shoulders, pressing my body further into the softness under me and in turn, I let out a soft groan as my homework suddenly came too close for comfort. Seriously, I already _didn't_ like the stuff and yet there I was, ready to make out with it. Not cool.

 _'I'll never be able to forget you. I wish that I had never met you!'_

The song made her chuckle, but that didn't deter the gentle nuzzling into me. "You're working too hard." Were the whispered words next to my ear, followed by the sweetest scent I'd ever known.

"That unfortunately happens when you _actually_ have classes to attend, Miss Mariani." I grinned despite myself and wrote my next answer, regardless of the pleasant chills running down my spine from the hotness of her breath on my ear. "And since when are _you_ not telling me to finish before bothering you?" Then again, when she was working on something (regardless that I _also_ had work to do) I would usually start bothering her out of pure boredom. _Does that mean she's actually bored?_ That wasn't hard to imagine considering that ever since school let out and we came right to her place, I'd been busy trying to catch up on my homework.

 _As long as I get to be a Senior next year._ Glancing at the clock on her night stand I could see that I had been up in her room for over an hour and a half. She'd left me to it as soon as she saw me unzip my bag and what she'd been doing that whole time was beyond me, but now that she was there, I was less inclined to continue. How could I possibly concentrate with her being so close? _And who does their work on the love of their life's bed?_

" _I_ didn't tell you to stop." Elsa nipped my ear, bringing me out of my thoughts. "But you should probably focus on finishing."

"But you're distracting me." I almost whined, but when she made a move to get off of me, I quickly squirmed around and clamped my arms around her waist to keep her there. Elsa let out a soft giggle before leaning back against me once more. Since she was half on and off the bed, she decided to pull her legs up until they crossed in front of her so she was a little more comfortable. I then relaxed my hold so I wasn't squeezing her and so she wouldn't try to leave again.

"And just what were you listening to, Miss Crescent?" She asked just after running her fingers through my hair. "Is that your way of telling me you can't stand me?"

"It is my way of telling you that I need you." I snickered, making her give me a skeptical look because the last part of the song played and it basically sounded like all hope was gone. "Sorry, I just found this new band and their songs are pretty awesome." Lying on my back, I brushed my fingers along her thigh with an apologetic smile. "It would take a miracle for me to _not_ be in love with you, Snow Paw."

"According to you," Elsa leaned against me and picked my hand up to trace her thumb over mine. "What's the difference between 'liking' someone, 'loving' them and being 'in love' with them?"

Pulling our hands to me, I clasped hers so I could nibble along her knuckles, pausing at the one that had the small scar on it. "That's a good question." I replied and then pressed a small kiss there. She'd told me once that she'd gotten it from washing the dishes at her adopted sister's place. "It's like asking what's the difference between _For now, For A While,_ and _Forever?_ "

"You never cease to amaze me with your answers, _Gattina._ " Elsa shook her head before leaning in for a kiss, which I wholly accepted.

"Well, that was merely me thinking on my feet." I noted once she pulled away. "Now if I really took the time to think about it, I probably wouldn't have came up with such a good answer."

"I still liked it." She smirked before releasing her hand from mine to tenderly trace along my face. Sighing softly, I cupped my hand over hers.

"I promise it looks worse than it is." I whispered, turning my head to press a kiss to her palm. "At least I was able to ditch the eye-patch, though. Wasn't quite ready to play _Pirates_." A chuckle left the both of us at that comment.

Pushing a hand through her hair, Elsa reached back to tie it up with a look of determination on her beautiful face. "Well, maybe I can help you out with some of this." When she shifted to the side, my eyes widened in horror.

"Wai- I- that's not necessary-" I stammered, helplessly grabbing for the paper that was already in her grasp and in front of her intelligent eyes. _Uh-oh._ My mind squeaked. Those eyes then narrowed at what was on the paper and guilt immediately befell me.

"Anna-" Elsa started.

"I-I promise it's important!" I felt my face heating up in embarrassment as I tried to snatch my paper back to no avail.

"Intake duct, fork tube, fender- Anna, is this for your _bike?_ " She sent me such a suspicious look that I felt myself sink further into the bed.

"Yeah?" I gulped, resisting the urge to hide behind my hands.

"Then why are you acting like that?" A perfectly shaped brow rose curiously at me.

"Like what?" I feigned ignorance.

"Like I caught you working on something inappropriate."

It wasn't, but why was I really acting like that? Simple. Because I had spent the better part of a school day (for Elsa) holed up on _her_ bed, at _her_ place, working on some sort of last minute diagram Danny had given me instead of actually hanging out with her. But. "I see how it is." I suddenly grinned, having caught something in those eyes that had my inner jokester poking at me. "Were you expecting to see an elaborate, dare I say, _erotic_ picture of yourself, Snow Paw?" It was my turn to quirk a devious brow at her.

"W-what? Why would I think that?" She blushed slightly before darting her eyes away.

 _Huh._ That cute little reaction made me sit up on my elbows with a more devilish smirk on my lips. "You _do_ realize that it would be _you_ I would be drawing, right?" Clearing my throat awkwardly as my confidence faltered. "I-I mean, if I _could_ draw and if I decided to try to imagine how you looked without-" pause. "You know what? N-never mind. Let's forget about all that and go down stairs!" I stammered while my ears began to heat up first. If I stayed any longer, it would undoubtedly spread to my face and neck. _What am I saying?!_ I'd mercifully caught myself before I could finish my musing and say 'clothes.' _Why am I thinking about that? Heh._

I didn't wait for an answer, but as I started to try to sit all the way up so I could escape, she stopped me. "Wait." Elsa suddenly laid back and forced herself down on my midsection a little more so I wouldn't be able to move. My heart jumped a bit. _Oh, man. What did I do now?_ Another part of me knew just what I had done, but more of me was confused as to why she wanted me to _wait._

"Wait?" I tried instead.

But there were no words as she suddenly leaned over to kiss the corner of my mouth and when there was another, slightly more insistent one pressed on my lips, I didn't hesitate to move the diagram Danny had given me for my bike, to the side so I could lie on my back once again. Elsa was quick to follow and I had the pleasant warm sensation of her thighs settling on either side of mine. That lead me to reach up to brush some of the platinum blonde waves away from her face when she began her descent once more. That hair tie didn't even last, but I couldn't care less about it. The more hair the better, I always say. _Pfft!_

"D-did I ever mention how comfy your bed is?" I blurted before her lips possibly could have met mine and she ended up missing my mouth completely, burying her face into my neck instead with a quiet giggle. _Good job, Crescent._ The sarcastic tone of that thought made me bite my lip to keep from groaning in defeated.

"You're such a dork, _Gattina._ " Elsa whispered. I wanted to smack myself in the forehead. _That was a clear indication that she wanted to at least lie here and kiss you awhile!_

"You make _this_ dork nervous, Elsa Mariani." My confession earned me a kiss to the juncture of where my neck my shoulder and a shudder followed in its wake.

"Sorry." Another kiss that actually veered off the path she usually went in and I felt my hands twitch as her lips landed just below the dip of my collarbones. I was wearing a forest green v-neck and the fact that she'd kissed me that low was enough to send my heart into fifth gear. Still no words were said as those full lips ghosted back up my throat to my jaw and then opened to take my ear lobe between straight teeth.

She whispered something in Italian that had me biting back a groan and when she pulled back, she gave me the kind of look that made my heart stop. It was affection, invitation and expectation, all without impatience and how she was able to look at me like that was so beyond me. My heart instantly kicked back into gear when I saw the love she had for me and I didn't hesitate to meet that invitation.

This time was different though. _I_ wasn't the one on top. So when her hot mouth left mine to open against the flesh of my neck, I had to bite my lip to keep quiet. I honestly had no idea what she did with the emotions that erupted when I did those things to her. _How is she ever not crying out?_ My hands slid up her back, gripping her shirt as she suddenly took a patch of my skin in her mouth and my body slowly got enveloped by tingles. She was able to get a moan out of me when her hand felt up my side and once she brushed a sensitive spot I felt my body react by arching into her touch a bit. _Whoo!_

As the heat between us began to climb, I felt myself getting caught up in the pleasant sensations coursing through me like a dose of Elsa Mariani through my veins. My lungs burned every time I took a sharp breath because Elsa's hands managed to find some place new and sensitive. Those fingers of hers traced the line of my hips and then inward along the expanse of flesh there. It had been such a bare graze, subtle, but it still managed to fire off nerve endings all over my body, leaving my brain pretty much turned off. So much so, that my hips involuntarily ground forward to seek pressure, begging that touch for more weight. It strained in my fingers that were tangled in thick platinum blonde waves every time her hot, wet tongue pressed into my neck. It was enough that the fire of Elsa's lips pooled in my cheeks, chest and right between my legs. _Freyja!_

When our hips met that time, Elsa had pushed a little harder against me and I instantly felt something roil low in my stomach as my hands twitched in reception. My knee then bent upwards, cradling the curve of her hip until we were fit perfectly together. It drove me wild, though I suddenly felt like I ached for more. I wasn't exactly sure what that _more_ was, but I knew it wasn't the begging rush of my heartbeat. Perhaps the not-so-foreign pulsing between my legs? _What is she doing to me?_

Not thinking more on it, I directed Elsa's lips back to mine. She met my mouth eagerly, parting her delicious lips so it was deep and open and I could actually feel that her breathing was as stunted as mine was against my tongue. Only that time, the rhythm of our hips fell into the same rhythm as our breathing and it was more amazing than I thought it would be. At first, I wasn't sure if that was the friction that I wanted, but as Elsa seemingly braced herself to continue grinding into me, I didn't care. I'd take anything right then.

Again, her mouth left mine and closed against my throat, making me release a whimper because the tip of her tongue was the the first thing I felt when she opened her mouth again. In response to the sound I made, Elsa allowed her hand to venture over the curve of my breast and that mixed with the moistness of her mouth on me, nearly sent me into a frenzy. Just like that, what seemed satisfying enough between us, wasn't enough anymore. That _more_ I craved was now back with a vengeance.

It was like Elsa's hands weren't bold enough, her full lips not pressing enough and I barely knew what to do with myself because of it. My only thought was for my hands to leave her hair and feeling down the muscles of her slender back until I reached the waistline of her jeans. Just as I boldly splayed my fingers around the curvature of her gorgeous rear, there was an unexpected chirp and vibration in her pocket that practically scared the both of us. It sounded like a message, considering that it stopped when our hands did.

All at once, she slowed and leaned away from my neck. Even though she lifted herself further away, I still did my best to get the connection between our lips once more. "How- how's your- are you in any pain?" She winced apologetically while reaching into her pocket for the stupid thing.

"No." I murmured a little too quickly as I lead my lips down her jaw, wanting to return the mark I was sure she left on my neck to no avail.

"Anna-" She tried helplessly, making me stop straining and fall back on the bed instead with a dopey grin.

 _Cool your jets, woman._ "Okay, fine. Just remember that _you_ started it." I conceded with a breathless chuckle before stopping her from looking at her phone. "But, Snow Paw?" Running my fingers through her bangs, I shot back up to press a kiss to her lips. "One of these days one of us might have to finish it."

There was a short moment of understanding between the two of us. "When you're not injured, hopefully." Elsa sighed and then laid back down on me, forgetting about her phone. I could tell my words had an effect on her, judging by the way she was nibbling on her lower lip in thought. Those Indigo-colored eyes had yet to calm down too, but I wasn't in a hurry to see it go. They were so hypnotizing, I could stare at them forever. As for the other thing; we weren't _that_ naive about the next step in relationships and perhaps one day we would actually get there.

Just not today.

"For now, my love, why don't I keep my promise of taking you on that bike ride?" I asked with a triumphant smile.

"First," Elsa's now sapphire-colored eyes came back to mine. Narrowed. "Was _this_ the only thing you've been working on since we got here?" She held the stupid paper between us, only to have me snatch it and practically toss it away.

"Search me." I chuckled, holding my hands out like a loon, but then sighed dramatically. "No. I made sure to do all my excruciating school work before starting on the fun one." Before she could possibly question why I needed to do the _fun one_ at all, I answered, "It's a sort of test Danny made up since my bike is _finally_ done and he just wanted to make sure I knew how to basically take it apart and put it back together."

"I see." She nodded. "Glad you kept that in English."

We both laughed at that.

* * *

Black Bear Auto.

After scolding and complimenting me on the bruising of my face, scruffy eyebrows furrowed in my direction from across the way. "Gotta hand it to you, Missy." Danny circled around my black beauty with a mixture of pride and awe covering his face. "This is quite the ride." Crossing his arms, he then eyed Elsa and I critically. "Do you know what the make is, Miss Elsa?" Was his gruff question that made her gulp nervously.

" _Yamaha._ " I coughed while looking away from Danny and off into the distance like I hadn't said anything at all.

"...Yamaha?" Elsa tried.

"Correct." My boss wasn't fooled though. "What about the year and model?" He asked.

" _2008 Yzf-R1._ " I coughed again, making him glare at me. "Sorry, there's this thing going around." I hid my chuckle by massaging my throat.

"It's a motorcycle." Elsa shrugged. "I'm not exactly going to school to be a mechanic." She added that this was 'up my alley' to me under her breath, which I smirked at. _Sometimes, anyway._

"She's debating on Chemistry or Bio Engineering." I pointed out proudly while slipping my arm around her waist.

"Well, if you're doing _any_ sort of engineering, I would think you'd learn about vehicles, right?" Danny's brow was raised curiously.

"More like she wants to build and improve prosthetic arms or legs when someone gets into a vehicle accident." I added again, receiving a grateful smile from Elsa. _More points for me!_ My mind cheered inwardly at that.

" _Wow!_ " Danny exclaimed in complete awe before turning to me. "And what do you plan on doing?"

"Hey, _I_ still have a year to decide." I waved him off and started to lead Elsa closer to the smooth-looking bike lest we never get to take it out.

"So, are you two going to the same college, then?" Danny asked, trailing after us and unknowingly making a knot form in my stomach. Even Elsa's hand tightened around mine at the question because we both knew the answer.

"I hardly think I'm qualified to get into _Corona University._ " I snorted, doing my best to plug up any emotion that might have shown itself at that moment. On the other hand, Danny let out an appreciative whistle and then came to place his hands on both of our shoulders the way a guardian of sorts would.

"Honestly, Missy, and this is just me saying." He cleared his throat somewhat self-consciously. "You don't seem like the college type."

I had to cover up the blow to my gut as fast as I could.

"Well, I'm barely getting through High School so..." I chortled along with him, though the unmistakable look in Elsa's eyes made me stop and reach for the helmets instead. It wasn't like I _didn't_ want to go to college, but he was right. I wasn't disciplined enough for something like that. Yet. "But don't get me wrong," bringing my determined gaze to the both of them, I straightened a bit. "I have a few passions I can expound on when I get there." I patted my bike for emphasis.

Danny had that same twinkle in his eyes that he'd had the day he hired me and he didn't hesitate to ruffle my hair like a child. "You won't find any doubt from me here. I can see a good deal of potential in you, Missy. Who knows? Maybe you two will make some sort of company in the future together." He mused.

My interest piqued at that and I couldn't help what came out of my mouth because of it. "Yeah. Elsa can be the CEO of her unnamed and unconnected Scientific Advanced Technology Laboratories building and I'll just be the one of the lab rats." I made like I was about to faint. "Oh the perks of the future!"

"In the name of Science." Elsa playfully poked my side, making a bark of laughter leave me.

"Hey." Danny had stopped laughing at us only to take my shoulders in his hands again. That time, his eyes filled with conviction. "Don't ever let anyone tell you you aren't good enough to go to college." He pointed at me. " _Especially_ the one that looks at you in the mirror everyday. She's the biggest liar."

"Yes sir." I swallowed over the lump in my throat and then gently punched his arm. "And cover that up next time!" Suddenly, he pulled away to gesture to my neck. "As a father who's had to go through this with _three_ daughters, I would-"

" _Bye,_ Danny!" I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as I practically shoved him away and he walked off laughing to himself. "He always has to ruin it." I couldn't help but face-palm.

As soon as he left us to ourselves, Elsa stepped forward to wrap her arms around me. At first I was embarrassed as could be, but when I heard her sigh after calming down, I reciprocated by nuzzling into her neck and placed a kiss there too. Without words, I knew that she stood by everything else Danny had just said and I was grateful. In that moment, I was nothing but and I shared it by leaning up to brush my lips against hers.

Until we broke apart laughing from the ridiculousness of his last words.

"I didn't mean to place it out in the open." Elsa giggled and I had the satisfying view of her pretty face tinting with a light flush. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." I shook my head with a chuckle. Before she could retort, I handed her my newest helmet.

Her eyes instantly widened. "Are these what I think they are?" She examined the shiny black fiberglass atop my helmet.

"Cat ears? _Yeah._ " I grinned and handed her a gray colored on with intricate dusky blue designs all over it. "I was doing some research sometime ago and found out that these helmets will buffer oncoming noise from wind. Whereas there's usually too much turbulent waves with a regular helmet, _these_ ones work in the same way a cat's hearing works." With just as much excitement, I gestured to the one she gave back to me. "Did you know that cats can hear sounds flying at fifty to sixty kilocycles? That's _so_ much better than the mere sixteen to twenty kilocycles you and I can hear!"

"For someone who's _allergic_ to cats, you're quite fascinated by them, aren't you?" Elsa gave me an earnest smile and then lovingly kissed my forehead.

"Says the girl who gave me the nickname." I playfully nudged her shoulder, making her raise a brow at me. "Oh yeah, I know what _Gattina_ means now." Was my added smug remark before another thought occurred to me. "They glow in the dark by the way."

"What does?"

"Our helmets, of course."

Elsa was taken aback. She even held her helmet up like she couldn't believe I'd just said that. " _Ours?_ " She had to ask again. "H-how did you-"

"Late birthday/Christmas presents from dear uncle Ragnar and aunt Leah." I held my finger to her tasty lips to silence her. "I told them about my bike and they bought these Neko-eared helmets as a set."

"Does this mean that you'll be wearing some sort of leather now?" Blue eyes prodded mine curiously and I didn't miss the small amount of hope that shown in them.

"I put an order in for one, yes." I nodded with a smirk that had her blushing again in two seconds flat.

"That- I wasn't-" She stammered adorably.

"I know you wasn't, Sweetie." I winked at her before turning to my bike. "So, are we going or not?"

"I'm not really...dressed up for a date." Elsa stated hesitantly, even looking down at what she was wearing. Those were: skinny jeans and a pretty black blouse under the gray hoodie she'd been wearing over it.

My own attire consisted of jeans and a green v-neck and I didn't wait to point at myself. "Neither am I, but I really, really wanna drive." Taking her hand in mine, I shot her a pleading smile. "I wanna know how it feels to actually drive you around."

"Okay." Elsa quickly gave in once she made the mistake of looking into my eyes for more than a few seconds.

"I promise, I'll plan the next one out better." I kissed her knuckles as if to solidify that promise.

And I would pull through. As a matter of fact, I already had a plan, but it would have to happen when I was completely healed. This time around, I had to stay mindful of the light pain that was beginning to bother me now that my pain medicine had worn off. _Perhaps I can just teach her the basics of how to drive it for now?_ But that lesson had to happen _after_ we made a trip to _Djali's_ and got back to her place. A smile coveted my lips at the thought.

"Ready, then?" Elsa brought me out of my reverie with her face alight with budding excitement.

* * *

Back at school.

"What...exactly am I looking at?" I asked when one of the school's cheerleaders came by to hand us pompoms that appeared as if they were homemade.

"Didn't you hear about the pep rally? They were announcing it all- oh _wait_." Kida snorted from beside me and even had the gall to swing her pompom around in my face. "How _could_ you know when you haven't even been in school the whole year, Miss Crescent?" She chided.

"I still got the tests to take next month! And it's not like I'm-" I was ready to defend myself as best I could against those very true accusations when an arm presented itself around my shoulders.

"Hey guys. If one of these things is called a pompom," Olaf held up one for emphasis before taking Kristoff's to examine them together, "then are two called a pompom-pompom?"

"Dude, that's like ordering a _mahi-mahi_ plate but only asking for _one_ _mahi_." Kristoff chortled while Kida and I stared at them incredulously for all of two seconds and then face-palming at the same time.

"See what I have to deal with when you're not around?" She nudged my side pointedly.

" _Yeah_." I snorted, knowing all about it. " _I've_ had to deal with them _before_ you ever came into the picture." I waved her off, turning to the other two with a lopsided smile. "O, that's also like ordering a cheeseburger without the cheese."

"Eh, not your best." He grinned at me. I grinned back and didn't hesitate to wrap my arm around him too.

Our faces looked similar in regards to the colors of our bruises and it was a little funny to be injured with him. Kristoff and I had been in scraps before and ended up with black eyes and bruised egos, but we had yet to break some bones together. Not saying that I wanted to make getting beaten up every other weekend with either of them a thing, I just figured we all knew where we stood with one another. They had my back and now Olaf knew that as well. Granted, rumors instantly went around that Olaf and I had gotten in a fight with each other, but one look at us now should have dispersed that notion all together.

"Shall we go find our seats, then?" I asked, gesturing to the _Junior's_ section. Only, before I could take another step, Kida and Kristoff stopped me.

"One second. They haven't played our song yet." Kida was the first to let go and I had to look between them in confusion. _How long have I been out of school?_ After another moment of taking in the scenery, I had to conclude: _Long enough to know Elsa and her crew had planned this without my knowledge._ Off to the right, I saw Kwalski fixing his tie and beside him, our mascot was busy jumping up and down, trying to pump himself up.

"We have a mascot?" I asked, making Kristoff burst out laughing and it was Kida and Olaf's turn to face-palm at me. "Wait, why are we even having this pep rally?" I purposely ignored them so I could wonder in peace, though why I still felt compelled to ask that out loud, I didn't know.

"You can thank the Lady Panthers for that." Kida gestured to the cheerleaders who were bounding back out the doors to the awaiting players. "National Champs, yo!" She added with fervor, causing whoever heard it to cheer as well. All the while, I couldn't help but frown at her. Since when was she in enough school spirit to say 'yo?'

"Division 2 I think it was." Kristoff thankfully recovered enough to try to make more sense to me. "Basketball." He placed his hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes like I would lose him if he looked away.

"All of this for basketball?" I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"And for the upcoming tests." A smooth voice sounded from behind me and I came face to face with the girl of my dreams.

" _Elsa_ , thank goodness!" I mocked a person who just got relieved of frightening news and quickly took her hands in mine. "These people, th-they're not making any sense to me." Those blue eyes filled with mirth, followed by a dash of playfulness. "What is this basketball they speak of?"

"Ha-ha." Kida rolled her eyes. "Let's hear you say that when I _actually_ join the team next year."

"Awesome!" Kristoff exclaimed. "I was thinking about trying out for football too."

"Kris, you can't wake up at six for anything." I chuckled, but then digressed just after thanks to a stern look from Elsa. "But that's cool. I'd definitely come to every game." Of course, I would need to brush up on my rule book knowledge first, so I wouldn't be completely out of it in terms of scoring and...fouls? _That's what they're called, right?_ I also had to catch up on basketball if Kida made it in too. _Great._

"So, what about you, Anna?" Kida smirked, pulling me out of my poor slowed-down brain. "You got your sports here," She gestured to Kristoff and herself. "Olaf's probably still going to be in that club-"

"Anna's going to be the new class president of course!" Olaf came back and practically jumped on me. With wide eyes, I immediately turned to find my odd friend already covered with face paint.

That was besides the point. "Excuse me?" I backed away from him like his craziness was contagious. Kida Kristoff and Elsa were all in just as much surprise as I was.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Olaf then began leading me backwards and I was dumb enough not to question that further. Instead, I kept my eyes on his in confusion. "Seriously, she's got the popularity vote in the bag. All that's left is the speeches and other junk!"

"That's insane." I scoffed at him, not noticing that he'd gotten me to sit down until it was too late. The first brush stroke had me twitching away. "Hey, what gives?"

"We're up for the first game and representing the Junior class!" Olaf smiled like an excited child.

"G-game? There's going to be games?!" I yelped, searching for eyes that made sense and when I found them, Elsa nodded in affirmation. Sheepishly, at that. "No." I crossed my arms before trying to get up. "I'm not gonna do it." My nose flared when they still tried to paint my face, but I sat there like I was ready to throw a tantrum. _I'm not going to do it!_

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I huffed in exasperation. "I'm still injured! What if I fracture my face out there again?" My complaint fell on deaf ears as the gym filled with wild cheers thanks to the appointed cheerleaders for each section. Olaf had said that each class would be trying to out cheer each other and have the most wins for a chance to go to the movies or having a pizza party and so far, it was proving to be quite the feat.

Especially when the teachers came out and _my_ they looked ridiculous!

Soon the cheerleaders were throwing out candy and other specifics to the crowd which drove them even more crazy and I had to take a moment to really get a feeling of how big the school was. _So much energy._ I leaned against the wall until a presence to my side had me glancing to my left. "Are you going to participate in any, Snow Paw?" I asked with a lopsided grin.

"As the student council president, I have to." She leaned against the wall with me.

"Well, I can't wait for that." I chuckled. "What else do you have planned?"

"A few things." She kept to herself and I had half a mind to prod her for more when Hans came over to steal her away from me.

When they practically skipped to the locker rooms, I couldn't help but smile after them. Elsa was usually pretty serious around other people and getting to see her like that was always refreshing. For now though, I had to deal with whatever game those imbeciles signed me up for.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Kwalski called out after some time of cheering and introducing the players all while our mascot did his thing alongside him. "Classes, get your first two choices out here!" He stated and I barely had time to think a bout who ours was when Olaf suddenly yanked on my arm.

"That's us!" He practically yelled and once we situated ourselves next to the other competitors, I scanned the crowd again.

"Now, can I get the gentlemen up front and center?"

"Let's do this, Anna." Olaf clenched his fists with the fiercest look I'd seen on him yet.

 _Oh, why not? I only get to be a Junior once._ I let out a resigned sigh before smacking him in the rear, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Bring it on!" Inwardly, I was already ready to go. It was just too easy to get caught up in all the excitement and why not, since the day was basically over? _Guess there are perks to coming back to school on a Friday, huh?_ My mind snickered.

"...and you're going to go chest to chest to pop that balloon." Kwalski was saying. At once I caught a glimpse of Olaf giving a thumbs up to the crowd and then I saw who I had to get said balloons from. _Okay._ "Once that one's popped, you're going to go get another one and these guys will be waiting for you, sitting down." More cheers erupted as the guys representing each grade did a series of laughable poses. "Then, when that one's popped, you go get the last one and these guys will be laid out and you gotta pop that balloon whether you want to do a flying suplex, or a cannonball, _you_ decide. Just pop that balloon." The mascot took the liberty to hug Kwalski with a balloon, making the crowd chuckle.

Strutting over to the person holding my three balloons, I thanked him before turning to see who I was up against. Unfortunately, the only one I knew was Tiana. For the guys, I knew Olaf and a Senior named Barry. _Guess there's no need to know any of the Sophomores or Freshmen?_ I felt bad for all of two seconds.

"Are you ready?" Kwalski pointed at us, making me crouch forward a bit with my balloon at the ready. "3, 2, 1, GO!"

I instantly sprinted across the short distance, but before I knew what happened, I'd already collided with Olaf and the loud sound of the balloon exploding had me already turning back around for the next one. _Holy cow!_ I couldn't help but laugh at the way I must have looked in that same instant. It probably resembled a defective airbag. Which was funny, but it didn't matter when I got my second one and when I got back, Olaf was sitting down and still laughing at me.

"Shut up and don't move." I chortled, placing the balloon in his lap. Before Olaf could utter anything other than another laugh, I practically jumped on his lap and when I heard the _pop!_ I stumbled away to get the last one. _This is ridiculous!_ I had to hand it to whoever thought this game up because I was really starting to like it.

"Anna's got the hang of this." Kwalski was narrating the whole thing, but I didn't actually hear him until he said my name. In all the chaos, I'd been too busy trying to pop my balloons and laughing to notice, so when I came back to find Olaf on his back, I finally heard the cheers. "Looks like we might have a winner!" His voice picked up on his excitement.

"Do it!" Olaf grabbed the balloon and held it on his stomach. Without a second to lose, I had no choice but to complete a belly flop, making the poor guy groan out loud. The crowd went wild, but he and I were too busy laughing to notice.

"Well done, Juniors!" Kwalski announced while a cheerleader came by to give us each a bandanna that was our school colors.

"Hey, these are pretty sweet." I comment after getting up. Once Olaf did too, I apologized by rubbing his tummy along with him as we retreated off the main gym floor.

"And we gotta wear 'em." Olaf chuckled, wrapping it around his head while I shrugged and opted to tie it around my neck instead. "Now let's go watch Kida and Kristoff make fools of themselves too." Pulling me away again, we ran the rest of the way back to the bleachers where we were welcomed with open arms.

The next game was a short obstacle course. However, that took nothing away from what they actually had to do and I was _so_ glad Olaf and I only dealt with balloons. Before they could start, the cheerleaders of our section called out cheers that we completed like the good sports we were.

"GO!" Kwalski ripped my attention back to see Kristoff maneuvering Kida through three cones via human wheel barrow. Olaf cheered them on like a maniac, which I felt compelled to join too. When they finished the cones, Kida did five push-ups while Kristoff did the same amount of jump ropes. Once that was done, they raced to the last spot and what did me in was that Kida had to give him a piggy-back ride all the way back. Cones included.

"YEAH!" Olaf stood up and only then did I realize that those two were in first place as well.

"GO KIDA!" I shot up beside him and as they shakily weaved through the last cones, Olaf and I nearly tore each others' arms out.

"Juniors!" Kwalski gestured to them. Kida got even more cheers when she flexed her biceps and they were rewarded with pennants.

"If you'll excuse me." Olaf turned to salute me just as the two joined us.

"Where-"

"You'll see." He winked before scuttling off and disappearing through the doors.

Next up was a some other game that I didn't know the title of, but what had me on the edge of my seat was the fact that Elsa was standing between Gerda, Kai, and Hans. To the right of them stood a female teacher named Holly Evans and she was surrounded by three other teachers. On cue, it looked like her and Gerda were trash-talking one another. Of course it wasn't real, only meant to make us laugh and when Elsa made to step forward, the guys put themselves in front of her like she was dangerous. A wide grin claimed my lips at that.

"Are we ready?" Kwalski put himself between them too. Elsa backed off with a hand covering her mouth and what was most likely a laugh because Gerda mimicked Kwalski when he wasn't looking. "The one who ends up with the most post-it notes stuck to them wins!" When he gave the go ahead, Kai, Gerda, and Hans all swarmed Elsa and did their best to cover her from head to toe in lime green post-it notes.

Beside me, Kida and Kristoff laughed their heads off at the teachers while I cheered for the sake of cheering. Being a Junior, I couldn't exactly cheer a Senior on, could I? _Pfft!_ _Tomato, tomato, right?_ As the crowd joined in on the countdown of a minute, I found myself right along with them and to my surprise, Elsa was pretty much covered.

"Seniors!" Kwalski called out, causing a ruckus from their section.

The winners were also given bandannas, but theirs was dual sided with our mascot's face in the middle. I only noticed because Elsa had boldly stopped by me to trade me for mine before the lights suddenly went out. In that same instant it took eyes to adjust, she'd pressed a quick kiss to my lips and then she was back on her side. _For now._ I thought slyly.

Music filtered through the speakers along with a flurry of black lights that made anything that was white, glow almost futuristic-like. It took only a second more to see that it was the cheerleaders getting ready to do some sort of dance.

Until, I caught sight of Flynn Rider with an extremely _huge_ fake bust.

 _What?!_ I had to blink a few times, but sure enough, I saw a few other guys dressed up in the cheerleading uniforms doing a routine to 'What A Girl Wants.' In no time at all, Kristoff, Kida and I were doubling over in more laughter and it only got better with each class that went next. By the time the lights came back on, I knew my face paint was ruined. I could see it on parts of Kristoff's shirt where I had to lean in order to not fall over and my tears weren't helping at all.

"How come you didn't do that one?" I asked him after wiping my eyes.

"I would have, but I had a dentist appointment the day they chose the participants." Kristoff blew out a harsh breath after fanning Kida like she was the queen.

"Did you see Flynn?" Said girl was still suffering from residual giggles. "That wig. He had to be the _worst_ looking one!"

"I thought he was pretty hot." I snorted, making Kristoff shake his head with another laugh.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen." Kwalski's voice brought us back to the floor. "A skit."

"Do you know what it's about?" I felt the need to ask as the stage was set up.

" _Game of Thrones_ and _Keeping up with the Kardashians._ " Kristoff whispered when Kida tried to shush him. At first I was a little confused because I hadn't really watched much of either show, but when _Daenerys_ and a sorry looking _Khal Drogo_ showed up on a dragon in the first scene, I knew the rest was going to be hilarious.

And _man_ was I right!

* * *

 _A/N: Good dragon. Your Khaleesi loves you. ;)_

 _And to all who thought Anna was going to be an idiot...what kind of girl do you think I am? I only crush souls when it's necessary. *chuckles* Kidding! But I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter regardless._  
 _Ah, yes. I got the pep rally idea from one of you (you know who you are.) So thanks for that and thank you to all who've read/reviewed and whatnot._

 _P.S. Check out some songs by Reel Big Fish. Like: 'She Has A Girlfriend Now.' That's a fun one. Or the one mentioned in the chapter. By the way,_ _ **I own nothing! Nothing at all.**_

 _Tootles!_


	39. Teenage Dream

**Dislaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

My eyes were so focused on the movie and utter delicious suspense that when the closet doors suddenly blew apart to reveal a frantic abomination, I barely contained a squeal of surprise. _I knew that was going to happen!_ When the gunshots followed, I was right back to sitting on the edge of my seat anticipation like nothing had even happened. Come to think of it, I didn't even know how long I'd been sitting there watching TV. _What have I watched so far?_ I wondered next. _Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife...today just feels like T-virus day, huh?_

"How can you watch that junk?" An amused voice asked from behind me, putting my internal blabbering on blast.

" _Shh._ Valentine's going to show up." I whispered despite myself, not taking my eyes off the screen for anything.

"Wasn't she one of the good ones?" Elsa then sat next to me and even reached over to snag some of the gummy worms I'd been indulging in while I tried to peer over her.

"Yeah." My answer was somewhat muffled because she pressed a worm to my mouth. "She still is, but- you see that scarab thing on her chest?" I pointed at the screen with the candy now hanging out from between my lips. "She's under control of the Red Queen." And then the rest of the worm was captured, jammed into my cheek for slower chewing.

"Who's the Red Queen?"

"She's this insane supercomputer that wants to destroy the human race." I would have gone on to explain it all from the beginning, but I didn't want to risk the oh-yeah-you're- _so_ -not-a-nerd-whatsoever look she would undoubtedly give me.

"Who's that little girl?"

"Alice's daughter."

"She has a daughter?"

"Long story."

"Want to go out with me?"

"Yes." I answered just as quickly as she'd asked, finally breaking my gaze away from the TV to give her a lopsided smile. "But I thought we were _already_ going out?" Leaning against her, I tilted my head back to kiss her chin. Her immediate response was a soft giggle that ended with her fingers pinching my side.

"And here I thought you were too engrossed with that ludicrous bio engineering pharmaceutical company that was responsible for the zombie apocalypse to notice that I was done." She stretched out her legs and sunk further into the couch with me sliding down to rest my head on her stomach. Of course I heard it growl just as I settled. _Typical._ The girl didn't stop to eat unless you _made_ her and I couldn't help but worry that she'd be the same way in college.

"While that is incredibly attractive, Dr. Mariani." I snickered after my snobbish voice cracked. "You could have just as easily said the _Umbrella Corporation._ "

"Well, excuse me." Elsa returned my air of arrogance by turning her nose up. I couldn't help but turn and nuzzle my face into her stomach because of the adorable way she looked right then.

But, instead of playing along like I was tempted to, I brought my face out of her belly and let my hand come up to brush her bangs away from my favorite pair of eyes. "To answer your comment from earlier, Dr. Mariani," My fingers grazed her bottom lip playfully. "You asked a lot more questions this time around _and_ you actually sat by me." I snorted, waving my hand around nonchalantly once she kissed my finger. "How could I not notice that?" And it was true.

Since I'd come over after dropping my stuff off at home and changing my clothes, I had been subjected to sitting on the couch because Elsa was immersed in working on a few job applications, a research essay for her English class, and leftover papers from the student council that she'd been putting off. (Just another Friday for the two of us.) Luckily, it had been one of those awesome half a days, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been so docile about her spending time on papers rather than with me.

It was also a good thing that good movies were showing to help keep me sedated. But at one point I had to leave so I could get junk food that the Mariani's didn't seem to believe in. I mean, I was all for fruit, salad, water and whatnot, but every once in awhile, one needed a good dose of fat and sugar to keep them sane. Hence the gummy worms, a pint of _Chunky Monkey_ ice cream, and other unhealthy snacks with caffeinated tea for the both of us. I still wasn't a fan of coffee and I also wasn't about to get an energy drink because I got the feeling I wouldn't be able to sit still if I did. Elsa didn't mind the tea, so that was good enough for me.

"Considering I checked in a few times, I should know the gist of your ridiculous movies." Elsa said with a smile in her voice, bringing me out of my reverie with narrowed eyes at her tone.

"Sacrilege!" I huffed. " _Resident Evil_ is one of the best film series to be based on video games ever. But to know that, you actually have to watch the thing. Or play it." Grinning smugly up at her once more.

"There are games? Have you played them?" Now Elsa was looking at me with a good mixture of question and amusement on her beautiful face.

"Of course I've played them!" Sitting up, I didn't refuse the urge to poke her nose. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"The girl who only got her first Xbox over four months ago." She caught my hand and weighed it down with her own.

Her words failed to faze me. " _But_ I have friends who've had numerous gaming consoles over the years." I countered and before we could get into an argument or debate over nothing in particular, I shifted back over to place myself in her lap, making a short laugh escape when I nuzzled into her neck. "Games and gorgeous know-it-alls aside, where are you planning on taking me this late afternoon, Elsa my love?" Was the question that made her turn just a bit more timid. _So cute, it's unfair!_

"I'm not a know-it-all." Elsa muttered and then wrapped her arms around my waist in thought. "And I'm not sure. What do you want to eat?"

A sly grin captured my lips as I kissed her temple. "I want whatever you want."

"That doesn't help me." She sighed around a light giggle.

"Tell you what," Extracting her arms from me, I stood up to stretch and then turned off the TV without a second thought. I'd watched enough anyway. " _You_ choose the place to eat, pay for our meal and then _I_ will handle the rest." When there was a longer pause, my hands came up to my hips. "And yes, that means I'm driving."

"Anna-" She tried with hesitation.

 _Oh yeah._ "Don't worry, I have my permit." I immediately dug around in my wallet to present it to her as I remembered that blissful day I received it in the mail. Blue eyes widened and she didn't hesitate to take it for her own examination. I'd been meaning to tell her about it, but had foolishly forgotten until right then.

A couple more contemplative moment passed before Elsa handed my permit back to me. "Fine." She said in finality. Her lips even adorned a crooked, pleased smile that had butterflies tumbling once again in my stomach.

" _Yes!_ " I pumped my fists triumphantly and helped her up with as much enthusiasm as I could muster without freaking her out. This was going to be the drive.

Having Elsa closely pressed against me with her arms wrapped around my waist while we zoomed through town was a special kind of torture that I wasn't exactly hating. During the course of our relationship, there had been complete moments of plain curiosity when we were cuddled up on the couch, or when I saw her studying with her plaid shirts unbuttoned lower than she probably knew. How did her body look? I mean the _rest_ of it. I'd had the pleasure of kissing and tasting a good amount of her delicious skin, but one of us usually chose to cool off before it got too hot. I was fine with that, yet it did little to dissway me from _noticing_ her body.

And no it wasn't only her body. It was a variation of her smile, her hair, her _voice_ and so much more between. Without fail, each time it happened, it always left me utterly enchanted and even a little flustered. With that, came a certain frustration that I couldn't quite place my finger on. I just knew that where Elsa was concerned, I was nearly always a mess and that stemmed back to when I first started cleaning the boardroom. Seeing as there was a point in time that I'd actually ran the poor girl over.

Although, I wouldn't trade any of those moments for the world on a silver platter.

* * *

Blackthorn's Restaurant.

Upon parking on in front of the building Elsa guided me too, I felt my curiosity peak. "What is this place?" I asked with wide eyes after I pulled my helmet off of my head and placed it under my arm while I continued checking out the place. It had been a cozy-looking restaurant squished between two taller buildings, but that only added to its charm and I wasn't at all disappointed.

How could I be when Elsa Mariani was standing right beside me?

"Just a place where an old friend of _mami's_ works. Oh and he happens to own it too." Elsa shook out her hair once the helmet left and gave me a sideways smile as she too looked over the entrance.

"You know the owner of a restaurant?" I frowned at her. "And you're just telling me this now?" I happened to know the owner of a gym, one of the best Wedding Planners in Arendelle, an awesome lawyer, the owner of a club, an auto shop and the fiance of a detective who was now in the running for the Captain's position, but knowing the owner of a restaurant was something else entirely!

"Must have slipped my mind." She continued to smile and offered her arm to me. Honestly, it felt a little different to be the one getting pampered, but she seemed to like leading as much as I did, so I gave in. For now, anyway.

Once we got to the door, I found myself frowning again when I saw the 'Closed' sign. "Um-" Before I could point out the obvious, the door suddenly opened to a very handsome older man. Older than _my_ dad at least, but his fading from dark to white hair, tall stature and equally colored scruff only added up to _ruggedness_ rather than withered grandpa. There was the very definition of 'aging properly.' His eyes were a nice bluish gray color, still full of life and he just plain looked like someone Letizia Mariani would have as a friend.

Meaning they were both good-looking despite their age differences. _Who knows, maybe he isn't that much older._

"Elsa!" The man all but threw the door behind him so he could wrap her up in a hug. I made sure not to get kicked when he practically spun Elsa around like a rag doll. It was quite an endearing sight to say the least. "It's been way too long." He continued, settling down a bit to hug her better while she awkwardly patted his shoulder.

"H-hi, Q." Elsa struggled.

"Who's this lovely lady you brought with you, _Stella?_ " And then they were both looking at me, making me fight off the urge to rub my neck awkwardly. _Stella? He's go a nickname for her too, huh?_ Instead of voicing that last thought or getting shy, I squared my shoulders and held out the hand that wasn't holding on to my helmet.

"Hi. I'm Anna." I tried in vain to not sound like a robot, but it had been the first time since I met Letti that I'd been introduced by Elsa and to say I wasn't that used to it would have been a sad understatement. What can I say? The love of my life knew a very different group than I did, whether it included other friends or not and _Frejya_ knows that she'd met plenty of mine in the last year.

"Anna, this is Quentin Blackthorn and Q, this is Anna." Elsa stepped back to stand beside me once again. I sent her a light grin, trying to loosen myself up. _It's not that bad Crescent._

"Oh, so _this_ is the pretty redhead your mom goes on and on about when I bring her lunch." Those blue-gray eyes filled with warmth and he surprised me by stepping closer to hug me too. "Thank you for shedding some light in their lives, Miss Anna." Were his whispered words that left me feeling strange. _Say what?_

"Uh, n-no problem?" I finally let out an awkward chuckle, stepping back in slight confusion. _Shedding light in- I'm not that important! Surely, they weren't THAT bad before we started dating._ Seriously. The more I thought about it, the more silly it felt to be doing so. I definitely would have said something, but the adorably bashful flush on Elsa's cheeks said otherwise and I found myself just wanting to put my helmet back on to escape the awkwardness we'd found ourselves in. Unlike me, Elsa didn't really speak up, so the silence stretched until Quentin broke it again.

"Well, no use standing out here! Let's get you two a table." He then gestured for us to follow him.

"Aren't you closed?" I felt the need to ask after Elsa gave me an embarrassed look. Silently, I let her know that it was alright and even leaned up to kiss her still flushed cheek. I needed to get over myself too lest this date turn into a disaster. We hadn't had one of those yet and I wasn't planning on it happening any time soon.

"Yes." He turned to give us a knowing grin from over his shoulder. "For you two? No. So have a seat anywhere you like and I'll have your food out to you shortly."

 _Well...that's certainly awesome._ I thought and when he disappeared into the kitchen, Elsa excused herself to the bathroom, leaving me to wander around to check out the rest of the place. Truthfully, I'd never been to this restaurant, (or any closed restaurant for that matter) but if the food tasted as good as the company and overall atmosphere of the building, then I would definitely venture back. It just felt like one of those places to go.

Around me were dozens of tables which all had upside down chairs on them as if he'd swept and mopped the floor awhile ago. Along the three wooden walls were countless pictures of different families, postcards, certificates and even a good amount of autographed pictures, jerseys, and guitars littered the ceilings and walls alike. It felt like I'd walked into someone's personal trophy room without the sense of self pride and arrogance, but rather, the accomplished reminder of all things achieved. _Amazing._ If that wasn't enough, there were lamps set up too and there was a bar right in the middle of it all that had a brick wall behind it with graffitied names scribbled all over.

To the very back, I spotted the 'restroom' sign and the kitchen where I could hear Quentin singing along to an unknown song and that caused me to chuckle to myself. Toward the front, I now saw that the thick maroon curtains had been drawn on either side of the door, so privacy wasn't an issue and when I turned for the last time, I saw a fancy-looking white piano in the corner opposite of the restrooms. _Cool._

"Nice, isn't it?" Elsa's voice nearly made me jump with a squeal, but I had the instant sense to get a grip lest I embarrass myself. _Guess watching those movies had an effect one me anyway._

I had to clear my throat and mind before answering, "It really is." Nodding in affirmation before turning to look at her and what I saw made my heart stop, only to start right back up in fifth gear.

Elsa had been dressed in that aqua green shirt I adored and some very nice fitting jeans with her favorite pair of shoes, but for some reason, she looked different to me. I couldn't explain it. Although, if I had to try, I would say that it felt like I was seeing her for the first time all over again. Like she was both familiar and new at the same time. One thing was for sure:

I fell in love all over again.

"Let's sit over here." Elsa sent me a small smile, reaching for my hand and leading me just a few tables over from the piano. Either she hadn't noticed the look I gave her or she just hadn't seen it, but once we stopped, I immediately wrapped my arms around her with a kiss to her cheek. _I love you._ Her other cheek, her nose, eyes, her forehead; showering her dazzling face in complete, earnest affection all while a soft giggle left her mouth and her hands came up to grab my jacket after I pecked her lips. _I love you. I love you._ My kisses went back to her cheeks, successfully drawing out a content sigh from her until the moment was ruined.

"And what would you two like to...drink?" Quentin's unexpected voice caused Elsa to stiffen and I felt her face heat up even more under my lips as my eyes opened to see him standing there. His gaze was politely pointed in a different direction by then, which I was grateful for.

"Two Cokes." I answered since Elsa was standing with her back towards him and still blushing profusely.

"Gotcha." He cleared his throat and then left once again.

After he disappeared, I pulled back to give Elsa an exasperated chuckle. "We just can't seem to show _any_ kind of affection where we think is safe, can we?" I blew my bangs out of my eyes before setting up a chair for Elsa to sit on.

"It would appear." She agreed, taking her seat and _thankfully_ recovering without a trip to the restroom again. The thought crossed my mind that I needed to teach her to say something to someone who was out of line or for when the moment called for it. _Maybe I'll give her lessons later._ Not like I was a professional, but I knew _I_ would have rather said something than to silently take it. Maybe she was braver than me because of that? I didn't know.

"So how do you know him?" I decided to ask once our drinks were delivered. Of course he sent us a wink that made me roll my eyes, yet I quietly had a firm grip on Elsa's leg to keep her grounded while he excused himself again.

" _Mami_ went to college with him and his wife." Elsa leaned on her forearms, playing with the tip of her straw. My eyes suddenly fixated on them because she definitely had the prettiest hands I'd ever seen. Even her nails were perfect. "They stayed in close contact after graduation and because they were long term friends, _I_ was added into the mix."

My attention was brought back to what she'd just said. _So Quentin's married._ I thought. "Do they have any kids?" It was a little strange because I didn't see a ring on his finger, but that could have been because he was cleaning, cooking, or something.

"No. Isabelle can't have children." Elsa shook her head sadly, making my stomach drop too. _That's awful._ "They've tried adopting, but something always seems to go wrong."

"That's why he reacted so strongly to seeing you." I scooted my chair closer with an easy smile that she returned easily enough. Instead of focusing on the negative parts of the newer topic, I wanted to focus on her.

"I guess." Those blue eyes looked away probably a lot more shyly than she deemed appropriate, but I didn't care. _She needs to stop being so cute._ I smiled like a love-stuck idiot.

The fact that she'd gotten permission to treat me to dinner at such a fine establishment for seemingly _no_ price at all was a bit overwhelming and I couldn't help but think _my_ end of the deal wouldn't compare. While it was one thing to show off, it was something else to show off _and_ make you feel like a cherished jewel. That was exactly how I felt, even if Elsa insisted that _I_ came up with better ideas.

 _She's incredible!_ But I already knew that.

* * *

Later.

"No."

"No?"

"I don't want to."

"But I'll tip you if you're good!"

We were standing by the piano and I was trying to get the love of my life to play something for me while she merely waved me away. After Quentin handed our freshly made food over (which had been one of the best burgers I'd had in forever) he went to clean up and then told us to do the same when we were done with our dishes. As he walked out, he left us with a key and told us to lock up when our date ended.

To say I was surprised he trusted us that much would have been an understatement. It was the first time that had ever happened to me and I had to fight the urge to run all around for fun. Instead of being a child left to herself, I chose to see if I could get Elsa to do something I also hadn't seen before. I'd always heard she could play, but I had yet to see and hear her myself.

"Come on, _I_ sing to you all the time." I whined, partly leaning on the piano. That got her attention though, so I continued to state my case. "People at school always say that you play and that you're fantastic at it, but I know they haven't _actually_ heard you play and even if they did, they haven't heard your beautiful voice." Reaching down, I brought her hands to my lips. Blue eyes shifted to mine after the second kiss. "Can I have this, Snow Paw?" I asked softly.

Elsa didn't answer.

She just turned to sit down and when I pulled up another chair, I touched her shoulder again. "I understand if it's too personal." Of course the last thing I wanted to do was push her. Granted, that might have been what I just did, but I needed her to know that she could say 'no' if she wanted and I needed to make sure that she knew her comfort was important to me because it was. _She_ was important to me.

"I only took piano lessons because my dad insisted." Elsa sighed, making me bite into my lip at the melancholic tone of her voice. _Crap! Way to go, Anna._ Before I could say anything, she beat me to it. "Starting when I was in Elementary, I actually got pretty good at it thanks to his persistence for me to play." Her long fingers spread over the keys. "When he left, I never wanted to touch a piano again."

"Elsa-" I began to stand up, only to pause when she directed a smile at me. There was a subtle softening around the edges of her eyes and a faint sheen of moisture that gave them a completely different brightness than I'd ever seen. She'd never been more beautiful to me than in that moment. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

"I want to." She whispered with a little more confidence. "For you, Anna." That new openness in her gaze was one I found myself wanting to nurture. To protect. Moreso now than ever and nothing was going to stand in my way.

But, all I could do in that exact moment was sit back down with a slightly choked up smile. _Okay._

She straightened her spine and then began with such a soft melody that I felt substantially calmer.

"' _I think you're pretty without any makeup on._  
 _I think you're funny, when you tell the punchline wrong._  
 _I knew you got me when you let your walls come down, down...'"_

A short gasp escaped my lips as I watched her transform before my eyes. She was no longer the shy, careful girl I'd met all those months ago. No, this one radiated a certain air that had me wanting to sit there and watch her forever. And that amazing voice of hers would eventually be the end of me once time outdid itself again and again.

 _"'Before you met me, I was alright, but things were kinda heavy._  
 _You brought me to life now every February, you'll be my Valentine,_  
 _Valentine.'"_

Her fingers moved all over the keys, but I instantly focused on the words of the song as our eyes met.

 _"'Let's just talk all through the night, there's no need to rush._  
 _We can dance until we die, you and I will be young forever...'"_

I swear her voice did nothing but assure me of who I was in the world and that was her knight. Soulmate. Other half, you name it, I was that. Without a doubt.

 _"'You make me feel like I'm living a Teenage Dream._  
 _The way you turn me on, I can't sleep._  
 _Lets' run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back._  
 _My heart stops when you look at me_  
 _Just one touch. Now baby I believe this is real._  
 _So take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back.'"_

The piano gently built along with the sheer power in her voice and I felt I needed to hold on to something lest I float away. Man alive, it was an incredible experience.

 _'"When you're around me, life's like a movie scene._  
 _I wasn't happy until you became my queen._  
 _I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece._

 _I'm complete...'"_

My eyes suddenly grew watery then. Elsa's own mirrored mine, but we stayed where we were for the moment. I didn't want to ruin the song or the memories it invoked. They all ranged from good to bad, bitter, to genuinely happy, and everything in between from the moment I first walked into the boardroom.

No. _Before_ that. The assembly.

 _"'Let's just talk all through the night, there's no need to rush_  
 _We can dance until we die,_  
 _you and I will be young forever..._

 _You make me feel like I'm living a Teenage Dream._  
 _The way you turn me on, I can't sleep._  
 _Lets' run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back._  
 _My heart stops when you look at me._  
 _Just one touch now baby I believe this is real._  
 _So take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever ..._

 _Imma get your heart racing, if that's what you need in this Teenage Dream tonight._

 _Let you rest your head on me, if that's what you need in this Teenage Dream tonight._

 _Tonight, tonight... tonight..'"_

It was raw. The way she played. Elsa had stripped all the way down and completely bared herself to me with that song. I hadn't ever been granted that kind of gift and frankly, it terrified me. _She_ terrified me. It might not have been obvious to some people, but both of us had a certain power over the other and while we dare not abuse them, we knew. There had been things we talked about that we hadn't even shared with our closest friends. She knew me better than I knew myself and I strived to do the same.

Elsa went on to finish beautifully and by the time she did, I was already sitting beside her and turning her to face me.

"I love you." I whispered thickly, using my thumbs to wipe under her eyes.

"I love you more." Elsa suddenly sobbed before burying her face in my neck. After a short second, she lifted her head and pushed her lips to mine. That kiss was sweet and light; a promise exchanged and apologies offered for things we'd both forgiven each other for a long time ago. There was also a promise to work through whatever went down in the future because no matter what, I knew who I was meant to be with, come hell or high water.

I belonged to Elsa Mariani and _nothing_ was ever going to change that.

* * *

 _A/N: Song Inspiration. 'Teenage Dream' by: Boyce Avenue. (Check it out when you get the chance. It's quite lovely.)_  
 **I own nothing.**

 _Well it's certainly been awhile since I updated this one...I won't lie, I've had a serious case of writer's block for this story. It was like I had a couple of ideas and then -BAM!- nothing. Or it could be that I'm delaying the inevitable end. Huh. Anyway, I hope you liked it because I had a time trying to write it!_  
 _Honestly, I'm not too sure I like the way it turned out, but that's what I get for focusing on...other stories instead. Regardless! Reviews are always appreciated._  
 _(And you can thank good ole 'Resident Evil' for giving me a general idea of how to start the chapter. Go Alice! Go Valentine! Rain! ...the other names escape me. XD)_ _ **I still own nothing!**_

 _Tootles~_


	40. Lasciami essere il tuo eroe

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Uh-oh. What are you doing here?" A husky, cultured voice asked right as I settled in a booth in the corner that would hopefully give me some privacy. That was until she appeared. "The only time you come here is when you and your lady-friend are fighting."

That wasn't entirely true and she knew it. " _She_ has a name." I smirked over my shoulder to the familiar female who came to a stop beside me.

"I know." She returned my smirk playfully. "I just haven't gotten around to saying it yet. Baby steps."

"Wench." A snort left my nose and I leaned back against my seat while Esmeralda barked out a surprised laugh at the jab.

"Congratulations, biker buddy. I think you've just figured me out." She placed her hands on her hips with exaggerated attitude, making me roll my eyes. I wasn't _that_ naive. Only that time I was ready for her friskiness. "So, _are_ you two fighting?" A fine brow raised in question next.

I let out a sigh before pointedly skimming over the menu. "Can't I just stop by for a pulled pork sandwich and a soda?" Gesturing to the note pad she'd placed on the table next to me.

Emerald eyes narrowed while she snatched her pad and quickly scribbled my order down."Not without telling me why you're here alone." Just by her tone I knew she wasn't going to leave me alone until I answered, so I took a breath and dug around in my bag for the brochures I'd gotten an hour or so ago. _Mission Ready. Serve With Honor. Rise To The Challenge. National Guard._

"I needed some time to think." Although really thinking about it now, I wasn't so sure I would get that time alone, seeing as her expression shifted around once the titles registered and she brought troubled eyes to me. _Here we go._ I fought the urge to groan at the impending conversation that was going to commence.

"What's all this, Anna?" She sat across from me, not bothering to touch any of them. "Have you really thought about this?" The questions began. "Does your dad know? Elsa? You're still in high school-"

"Is it such a bad thing for me to want to join the Military?" I tried to stop her while she was ahead, crossing my arms defensively in front of me. I knew I was still in high school and that I couldn't join without parental consent.

"No, but..." She sighed before waving another waiter down so she could tell him she was taking a break and even gave my order to him. When he left, she brought her full attention back to me. "Why?" The look of bewilderment spoke volumes.

 _Why?_

It was the question everyone I spoke to about it had asked me. Danny, Petro, Alice, Kida, the guys, they all thought I had lost my mind and normally, I wouldn't have let that bother me, but something was off. No one but my dad supported my decision to join.

The truth was that Elsa and I _did_ have a disagreement over that very question. It had been a disagreement that escalated in to our first actual fight. I wasn't about to relay the whole argument to Esmeralda, but the whole thing started when Elsa had offered to defer a year so she could help me try to get into Corona or another college there. I'd flat out told her that I _didn't_ want to go to college and that she didn't have to waste time on me when she could already be out there experiencing the things we knew she wanted to. Of course, I _could_ have picked my words and the execution of them better, but I didn't and Elsa had taken it a little more harshly than I intended.

I had told her that I wanted to join for some time now and that it had nothing to do with the fact that my dad joined right out of high school either. Yes, I respected the man like no other and was proud to have him as my dad, but it was a choice _I_ made on my own. I already knew that I didn't have the drive to sit through dozens of lectures, study like crazy for midterms, and keep my grades up...college just wasn't for me and I had tried to explain that to the love of my life. Unfortunately it all just came out all wrong. More questions were thrown, I justified myself, frustration took place, I got a little angry (moreso at myself because nothing I said came out right and the fact that she didn't seem to be hearing me if I felt I'd said it right) and then she finally retreated to her room.

I ended up at _Djali's._

"Because I can't see myself in college." I cast hardened eyes at my tablemate after replaying the memories of not thirty minutes ago. Honestly, if Esmeralda was going to react the same way, I needed to be prepared for it. Already, I could feel my precious bike calling to me from outside and I was more than willing to drive all my frustration out until I fell into bed without anything else to think about. Even if it meant ending up in another county to do so. _That's not possible though._ In the very back of my mind, I knew I couldn't leave Elsa like that.

"That's it?" Esmeralda leaned over to place her hands on my forearms, making me notice that the booths were actually kind of tiny. "You can talk to me, you know." She added a little more quietly.

"Can I?" I asked with narrowed eyes, stubbornly keeping my arms crossed as if they'd been pseudo walls set up to keep her out. They were. I felt she was going to be another non-supporter.

Her lower lip jutted out in a pout, though, making my eye twitch. "Is my _Annalicious_ afraid I'm going to run her off with more stupid questions?" She suddenly cooed in an annoying way that I instantly didn't like.

"Yes." A glare from me made her turn that much more smug. "And quit calling me that."

"Well, my sweet," Her fingers dug themselves into my arms and she successfully pulled them apart without permission. "I'm not going to run you off now that I've finally got you alone." Pearly white teeth revealed themselves behind painted lips then.

"Flirt."

"Brat."

"Jerk."

"Shorty."

"Oh." My hands came down on the table harshly at that last word, not caring that a couple behind her jumped and then looked over at us in bewilderment. "That is _not_ cool! You're a few centimeters taller than I am." I huffed in annoyance. "You don't get to call me short!"

"Ah, then you agree that you're a brat?" Esmeralda asked smugly, checking her nails with satisfaction.

"I am not a brat!" I seethed. This was a playful side of her that I knew existed from the first time I met her, though I hadn't anticipated her utilizing it when I was trying to be serious about my future. _Guess I kinda stepped into it too._ My revision of just where it happened in our conversation let me know that I did just that. _Idiot. Both of us._

"Exactly my point." She chuckled in nothing but amusement.

"Shut up." I muttered.

My food was then placed in front of me after moving the brochures that still hadn't been touched since I'd laid them out, but I suddenly wasn't so sure I was hungry anymore. Actually, I hadn't even been hungry to start with. Seeing Elsa hurt like that _because_ of me, had me wanting to beat myself up much worse than those pricks did weeks ago. I also wasn't sure why I chose to come to _Djali's_ in the first place. I mean, I had Kristoff to talk to, Olaf and even Kida, but I supposed I just feared they would have the same reactions as my beloved did. One fight was all I had energy for. If I really had to think about it, they were right to think so. I couldn't exactly blame them for having doubts because it was a big decision. It may have been, but it had been one I'd already talked over with with my dad awhile back.

Now _he_ fully supported me after I explained my reasons and I didn't know why I seemingly twisted all my words around when I tried to tell Elsa.

My stomach twisted as subconscious thoughts decided to surface at once. _I'm so hopeless._ It was easy to believe in heroes. I mean, my dad and mom were my heroes and in more ways than one, so was Elsa. What was hard to learn was when said heroes stopped believing in me. _I can't even get Elsa to do that and she's supposed to be my better half. Is this what I really want to do? Am I going to lose her because of this?_

"Anna, talk to me." Looking up, I'd forgotten that Esmeralda was still there.

All that I'd just been wallowing in left me feeling rather defeated. So much so that I just wanted to go somewhere to sulk some more. "Don't you have work to do?" I kept my gaze on my untouched plate of food. No. What I really wanted to do more than pity myself was go back and apologize to Elsa. I needed to fix it no matter how small I was feeling. The true question was: would she want to see me so soon? _Maybe sulking's the best way to go. Crap._ I swear, I didn't even know what to think anymore.

"I do, but I have a friend who needs my help more." Again her hands were placed on mine. "Quasi won't mind as long as I make up my hours."

 _Wow._ "I feel _so_ special." I grumbled, unprepared for the swat to my cheek. "W-what the?!" Jerking back, I stared incredulously at Esmeralda while covering said cheek. It wasn't a hard hit, but the fact that she'd just slapped me was a little jarring. _What'd I do?!_

"That's called _sense,_ darling." She replied with that infuriating smirk. "Trust me when I say you need it."It was her turn to cross her arms. "You're so transparent, I could literally relay all that crossed your face just now."

"You didn't have to hit me, though." I stated, curling my lip in a sneer.

"Oh, but I did." She replied with a nod. "Now, I don't know why you and your other half are fighting, but I'm not dumb enough to see that it has something to do with you wanting to become a _Jarhead._ " A thoughtful pause. "It's deeper than that isn't it?"

"I don't want to join the _Marines._ " I countered, still rubbing my cheek dumbly. ' _Sense.' She's crazy!_ As for her guess, my dad and Oaken joined the Marines, but I wanted to try a different branch and after talking about it with my dad, I was leaning toward the _Air Force._

"Well, whatever branch you join, she doesn't want you to. Am I right?" Her hand reached for my fries and I didn't hesitate to push the whole plate to the middle of the table with disinterest. "So there's more to it. Don't just sit there and let me write your story, Anna. You gotta give me something, dear." She ducked her head to try to get my attention. "Internalize all of this and-"

"Okay!" I snapped. "I want to join because I don't want my dad paying for a college I'm probably going to fail at because I'm flat out lazy. I want to join because I want to get out there and see the world. I want to join so I can do something with my life and for my dad, my _mom,_ my uncle, my family, my girlfriend- I want them all to be proud of me." My hands were trembling as I fought back a sniffle. "Elsa's going to be something great. I can already see it and I'm excited for her, but in order for me to stay with her, I need to know that I'm worth something too."

"That's crazy. you _are_ worth something." Esmeralda looked worried.

"Thing is: _I_ don't feel I've achieved that yet." _I can't even get her support!_ I answered, keeping her gaze heatedly. "No matter what she says about me coming with her, I don't want to be the mediocre girlfriend that followed after hers only to work and dream about something more. I want to be able to support us in the future and that includes my dad. I've got a niece and I want her to grow up thinking I'm an awesome aunt. I want to be more than I am now and I want my friends and Elsa to believe I can do that. I don't want to be lazy and undisciplined anymore." A harsh breath was forced out of me. "Is that enough of an answer?" Clearing my throat, I took a long drink of my soda before all the ice melted and avoided her eyes.

For a few uncomfortable moments, we sat there in silence. Esmeralda picking at my fries and me looking out the window to the slowly setting sun on the sidewalk. Across the street, I watched as people walked casually along, peering in windows or talking to each other. In truth, I hadn't meant to dump all of that out, seeing as the only person I've ever done that with was with Elsa or a willing punching bag, but something about Esmeralda let me know that she wasn't going to let me get away with it no matter what. And maybe that was a good thing because I wasn't sure how long I would have let it fester. Knowing me, I probably would have taken it out on something else only to have the love of my life walk in on me again. _Odin_ knows I'd done that too much with her already and the last thing I wanted to do was bite her head off in the heat of battle. That hadn't happened yet, but I couldn't help thinking that that was exactly what would have happened this time around.

I would get mad at her because she wasn't on my side.

"You're such a lovable little idiot." Was the cherished reply that had me snapping my head back to my tablemate in confusion as she outright laughed at me. I frowned. _Okay. First you slap me and NOW you say something like that?_ She really _was_ crazy. Before I could open my mouth, she got up and yanked me into a fierce hug. "Darling, you had me right when you said you didn't want your dad paying for college."

"I don't." I sighed, accepting the physical contact that I hadn't known I wanted. "Besides, I can still go after I join. They said they'd take care of me."

"And there is _nothing_ wrong with that." Esmeralda whispered before letting go of me, but still held me at arms length. "No matter what that blue-eyed beauty or your friends say, _I_ believe in you." A genuine smile captured her lips. " _I'll_ support your decision and frankly; seeing you in a Military uniform would certainly make _my_ day any day."

That was all I really wanted to hear. (Not that last part, though.) "You're ridiculous." I finally backed off with a snicker. Sitting back down, I finished off my soda and pulled out my wallet.

"Don't even think about it, dummy." Tan hands stopped me from fishing money out for my food. "I may be ridiculous and _you_ might be cute, but there's no way you're paying for food you didn't even touch."

"How sweet." I rolled my eyes. Regardless, it would be an utter lie if I said I didn't feel a lot better. Maybe it was a good thing to talk rather than hide away until it found its way out of me.

"Okay. Now that we've established all of that." Green eyes prodded me again. "What are you going to do about your woman?"

"Apologize." I frowned at her because she made it seem like I wouldn't be doing that.

"Well, I am glad you know what to do then." A satisfied grin was tossed at me.

"Did you expect me to say 'let her cool off some more?" My arms folded across my chest again. " _I'm_ the one who couldn't explain it right." I felt I had to justify my mistake.

"Maybe _she_ didn't hear right either." Esmeralda shot back and when I only glared at her, she put her hands up. "It's a possibility, okay? Trust me, I've got the experience here." She leaned against the table and pushed my bangs out of my eyes. "You two will have more disagreements and fights the longer you're together, but you have to know that it's not _always_ going to be your fault." Those eyes focused like she knew exactly what she was talking about. _She DID say I was transparent._ "You can't have a relationship without any fights, but you _can_ make your relationship worth the fight." Emerald met teal.

"How can you be so helpful, yet so infuriating?" I growled after she deliberately messed my hair up, breaking our semi-intense gaze.

"It's a gift." She chortled. "But I know you love me and you're glad you met me."

"Careful." I wrinkled my nose at her. "Your head's getting a little too big there."

"Good. It'll be too big to go up my butt." She smirked. "Be thankful for that."

"Oh my- I can't even-" Shaking my head at her incredulously, I snatched up my bag so I could jam my brochures back in for later. She only continued to laugh as I grabbed my helmet and turned on my heel. "I'm outta here." I declared.

"You're welcome, Anna!" The jovial shout made my face heat up.

"I don't know her!" I hurried out of _Djali's_ like there'd been a fire in the kitchens.

* * *

Later.

 _'Letti, I know it's late, but I have to tell Elsa something. Can I come up?'_ My thumbs typed out the message and I sent it while patiently waiting outside in the parking lot of their apartment. After a much needed cruise through Arendelle, quick stop at my house and a short talk with my dad, I wound up back there with an extra set of clothes, hoping they were still awake.

My only fear was Letti turning me away.

I knew she was very protective of Elsa, seeing as she was an only child, and if the woman deemed me unsuitable for that daughter at any point in time, I would be forced out of their lives. Of course, I wasn't so easy to get rid of.

 _'And what is it that you need to tell her?'_ Came Letti's reply that had me nibbling on my lip as I looked up at their loft. The lights weren't on.

 _'I need to tell her that I'm sorry. In person.'_ I sent, but then another thought came to mind. _'I also heard it was unwise to go to bed angry :) heh...'_

There was a short moment of nerves about that being a little too much to add. Talk about awkward. _'Fine. Just know that I'm a light sleeper, so I'll be able hear if you're planning on defiling my daughter after you two makeup.'_

My jaw dropped in shock. _'LETTI! DX'_

An embarrassed chuckle left me and I didn't hesitate to glance around like anyone could read over my shoulder. _That woman._ Clearing my throat, I dismounted and gathered my overnight bag, slinging it over my shoulder. My helmet stayed with me as I crossed the short distance to the entrance and by the time I got inside, Letti was already waiting for me in the lobby.

"So, you came back, huh?" She asked, trying to appear aggressive and she would have been intimidating if she didn't look like I'd just woken her up from a deep sleep. Her bedhead suggested that. Still, I kept my back straight with Esmeralda's last meaningful words ringing in the back of my mind.

"Always." I nodded earnestly before emphasizing my bag. "Would it be too much to ask if I can stay the night?"

"Assuming my daughter doesn't kick you out herself?" Letti grinned down at me as we entered the elevator.

My jaw flexed. "Even if she does, I will be here in the morning and believe you me that I will follow her around all day until we talk." I replied sternly. "Look, I don't know who you imagined your daughter dating, if anyone at all, but I want you to know that I don't take her for granted. It's true she's graduating soon and then going to Corona while I finish out my high school career, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on us. Even if you or my dad disapprove with our decisions, just bet that I'm going to fight for this relationship no matter what because I'm hopelessly in love with your daughter and nothing is going to change that." A breathless chuckle. "Not even these little fights or disagreements." _Or the Military._ I added silently. Letti didn't know I planned on that just yet and I had to wonder what her reaction would be...or maybe I shouldn't, seeing as I _just_ gained another person's support.

Three floors _dinged_ by until she spoke again. "I couldn't ask for a better declaration." Letti surprised me by wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Pretty girl, I might give you a hard time every once in awhile, but the fact that you're still here speaks volumes." She grinned at me. "Elsa has a lot of admirers and I've had the pleasure of meeting some. Let me tell you: _you_ have lasted so much longer than I gave you credit for."

"Aw, I love you too." I smirked at her, playfully pushing against her since she hadn't moved away.

"You're good for her." Letti planted a kiss to my temple. "And me too. You're hard _not_ to like, Tesoro."

"Glad to hear it and I'll try to keep that up. Making you both happy, that is." A wink had her scoffing.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a charmer?" She asked around a laugh.

"Well, recently I've been called a brat, short and an idiot." I thought out loud. "It feels nice to be called something positive for once."

The elevator doors opened with Letti covering her mouth to stifle more laughing, but as soon as we stepped into the living room, she pulled me into a proper hug which I happily returned. "Make yourself at home, Tesoro and I'll see you two in the morning. _Buona Notte._ "

"Good night." I whispered with a wave at her retreating form.

Looking up to the very top of the loft, I could faintly make the outline of Elsa's bed against the moonlit night and after a few deep breaths, I hardened my resolve so I could actually get up there without scaring myself. Once I got to the second floor, I placed my bag under her desk and removed my jacket so I could leave it on the chair. There was a short second where I feared I somehow smelled like Esmeralda's perfume, but deciding that changing right away would only appear guilty. Honestly, the slightly deranged woman _had_ helped me and Elsa should have known that Esmeralda had nothing on her. _Ugh, why am I stalling?_

Flexing my jaw and squaring my shoulders, I made my way up the rest of the stairs and when I got there, my eyes instantly fell to the curled up figure that was lying on the side _I_ usually slept on when I stayed over. _Bet that's my pillow too._ Elsa was holding onto one of them and I was suddenly left thinking that our fight had been a rather silly thing to have taken place. What happened exactly? Pushing my bangs out of my eyes, I stealthily stepped closer until I was standing right beside her. She looked so beautiful. Especially with the moon's light gently falling around and covering her in an ethereal glow that stole my breath away. Instinctively, my hand started to reach out for her, but she suddenly turned onto her back and I took that opportunity to lean in so I could press my lips to hers.

At once her even breathing stuttered, letting me feel her eyelashes flutter against my cheek. "I'm sorry." I whispered against those lips. When I pulled back, I could see icy blue eyes that were almost turned a deep sapphire color under the moon's light, but that wasn't all. I also saw an aching sadness there that made my heart freeze up and I wanted to kick myself. Especially when I cupped her cheek and felt the too-warm, salt-roughened skin there. She'd been crying.

"I'm sorry too." She leaned into my touch. "I don't want that to happen again anytime soon, okay?" She added, making me chuckle and her next words were in Italian as she straightened a bit, looking over me curiously.

"I honestly didn't even notice how cold it was out there." I cleared my throat. Without waiting for her permission, I removed the pillow from her stomach and placed myself on top of her instead. Elsa didn't seem to mind my cold skin and even slid her fingers through my hair after untying it. On the other hand, I buried my face in her neck, murmuring more apologies, but most of all, I just said her name because it tasted so sweet coming out of my mouth. Soft and tender and over and over like a prayer.

We held so much power over each other, it was a little scary.

After a couple more quiet murmurs against her neck, I pulled back just a bit since I'd had a sudden revelation. "Hold on, just let me- I-I don't want to crush you." Came my weak protest as I tried to at least move to lie beside her. There was a whole bed there and we were crammed on one side.

But, Elsa only tightened her hold on me as if she needed the closeness. I knew _I_ did, but I wasn't about to make her uncomfortable while doing so. "No." She whispered into my shoulder, making me stop trying to move before relenting fully. "You're perfect, _Gattina."_ Those words melted the icy tension in my gut and I couldn't stop my body from trembling as tears finally stained my cheeks.

And it was perfect.

 _Even if I had a million reasons to leave, I would still look for one to stay._

* * *

The next day.

Sen decided that she wanted to have a cookout.

So, we found ourselves at Olaf's house since we had yet to hang out there as a group. After quick tours of the spacious place by Olaf and I, Kida, Sen, and Kristoff left to get all the food while we stuck around. It was a nice day to have a cookout and to say that I was stoked for burgers cooked on a grill would have been an understatement. The hard part was having to wait, but Olaf always found a way to entertain me like the true friend he was.

"Hand me the Hex Key, please." I gently told the girl sitting next to me while a random song played from my phone in the background. There was a moment of palpable confusion before she held out a tool I hadn't asked for. "That's a screwdriver." My eyes moved to questioning, blue before I reached over her to get the right one. "You're such a girl." I snickered. Her response was in Italian, but I just blew a kiss at her and held the little tool up. "Hex Key." Was my simple explanation.

"You could have just said the one that looks like a hockey stick." She huffed, making a lopsided grin capture my lips. _That's cute._ "What exactly are you doing, anyway?" Elsa then leaned over to try to peer over my shoulder and I moved out of the way to let her see.

"Oh, I'm just tightening _DEEZ NUTS!_ " I shot her a stupidly wide smile and had her face-palming with gut-busting laughter erupting instantly. "I got you." Declaring smugly when I saw the attractive color her cheeks turned from my idiocy. _So pretty._

"I seriously _hate_ that you showed me those stupid videos." Elsa muttered after calming down a bit.

"Hey, you gotta admit that some are funny." I chuckled and when she didn't say anything else, I decided to break the silence again. "Okay, I lied. These are actually _bolts_." I continued what I was doing so the bookshelf Olaf had gotten last year would finally be completed. _Or_ he'd just go buy one that was already made rather than making a trip to _IKEA_ again. Seriously, no one in his family understood how to put the things together so even entertaining the idea to go there wasn't something I would have recommended. Too bad they didn't listen.

"Wait. There's a difference?" Elsa asked in confusion.

"Before you get into that, Anna, can you make Elsa laugh again?" Olaf suddenly appeared behind us with his arms around our shoulders. "That was easily the best thing I've ever heard in my life."

"Uh, _boundaries!_ " I growled at him and removed his arm from the love of my life's shoulders. "Just because you're practically my little brother doesn't mean I _won't_ treat you any differently than someone else hitting on her." _And that laugh wasn't supposed to be heard by anyone else._ For now anyway. I was just getting used to hearing the heart-clenching sound myself from time to time.

"I didn't know you were the jealous type." Olaf cooed while poking my cheek.

"Don't make me use _this_ to pull your brain out." I pointed the little wrench at his nose, making him bark out a short laugh and then back off with a smaller giggle. On the other hand, Elsa looked surprised and even a little flattered by the threat.

"Well, I certainly pity the fool that tries to hit on Elsa when you're around." He nodded from me to her and then back to me.

"Like you?" I grinned.

"Chill out!" Gray eyes lit with mirth. "I'm sorry for dipping my fingers in your Kool Aid."

My face twisted in distaste at him. "O, don't you _ever_ say that again." I shook my head furiously like it would erase his words from my mind. Nope.

"Hey, where the party at?!" Kida's voice called through the garage door before she popped her head in with Sen and Kristoff behind her.

"It apparently just got here!" Olaf tossed his arms around me in a quick hug and then sprung to his feet to lead the others to the back of the house where the grill was set up.

"Hey, lovebirds." Sen gave her bags to Kristoff who took them with a smile. When he went on ahead, those honey-colored eyes ventured to where Elsa and I were still seated. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Don't you dare." Elsa muttered, making me snort before clearing my throat.

"We're putting a bookshelf together for Olaf." I followed Elsa's instruction and motioned to the nearly done project from hell. There was another moment of silence while I had Elsa hold a panel for me and I worked my magic.

"Can I ask you something, Anna?" Sen's voice lost some of its confidence as she suddenly came over to sit behind me. Elsa and I both looked a her and stopped at the same time to give her our attention. That was until blue eyes shifted to mine in question. _Should I be here?_ They asked. I just patted her leg with a small smile, letting her know that Sen would have said so if she wanted to talk to me alone.

"Of course." I directed my smile at the other pretty girl.

"Well," She began and I noticed the self-conscious blush that flitted across her features. "It's about Kristoff."

 _Uh-oh._ "What's the matter?" I asked, scooting all the way around to face her better. "Is he being difficult?"

Her eyes widened and she didn't hesitate to throw her hands up. "No, no, that's- there's nothing wrong! I just had a question."

"Okay. Shoot." I cleared my throat awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a little dumb that I'd said something like that.

She looked a little more nervous, but then I watched her resolve harden not a second later. "He...I haven't met his parents yet." Was the introduction that made my heart clench and stomach turn the instant it left her mouth. _Oh._ "I mean, he's met mine, but he just doesn't talk about his and I can't help but think something's wrong with me?" Pushing a hand through her hair, she let out a soft chuckle. I could see the underlying worry there though. "Both of your parents get along and you know Olaf's. I guess I just wanted to know why he doesn't mention them."

For a long, contemplative moment, I couldn't say anything. Out of all our families, Kristoff's was the most difficult to talk about. "I-it's not you, trust me." I settled for and then tried to find another way to try to describe to her how it was. When no simpler way came to mind, I ended up letting out a deep sigh. "I could tell you, but I would rather you wait for him do that when he feels up to it." I pushed my hair behind my ear. "His family's a little bit on the complicated side, see." Actually, I didn't want her to _see_ anything. I didn't want her exposed to what went down at the Bjorgman house anymore than Kristoff probably did.

"Is it bad?" Sen tried again, but by then, even Elsa was as uncomfortable as I was.

"It's honestly not my story to tell." I decided on and then reached over to squeeze her shoulder at the same time Elsa placed her hand on my knee. "For now, just be happy to call my best friend your boyfriend." My eyes met Elsa's before giving Sen a reassuring smile. "And let me just say that I'm so glad you two found each other. I haven't seen him smile so much over memories in forever."

"Okay." She seemingly saw something in my expression. I could tell by the way her shoulders set and when she leaned closer to give me a hug, I could tell that she now understood my hesitance. It _was_ pretty bad, but that was for him to tell her. Not me.

"Come on." I sent her a friendly smile and then stood up to offer both of them my hands. "I'll finish this abomination later. Right now we have something else to attend to."

As soon as we got out to the backyard, we suddenly paused when Kida turned around. The girl was already half in the pool and had just removed her shirt when our eyes met. "Are you going to join me, or are you just going to gawk at me?" Her hip jutted out, revealing her flat stomach and sky blue bikini as she tossed her shirt in our direction.

Before I knew what was happening, strong arms wrapped around my waist and the next instant I was clawing at the water until my head resurfaced. My first thought was how _cold_ the water was and my next thought consisted of barely contained squeals about being tossed in fully dressed. "KRISTOFF!" I bellowed, not missing the way they all roared with laughter and I didn't hesitate to grab Kida's wrist so I could yank her all the way in. "Outta my way, woman." I snarled, ignoring her loud protests about the water being cold. Seriously, if _I_ had to deal with it in the worst way possible, there was no way _anyone_ wasn't going to share my experience. My eyes narrowed in on Kristoff who'd taken his own shirt off and was egging me to come get him.

Without much thought, I scrambled the rest of the way out of the pool and began tearing my soaked shoes and clothes off to reveal my own bathing suit. (Before we'd all come over, Olaf had told us to bring extra clothes and swimsuits,) but I had no idea I would be blindsided by them. _He's in for it!_ Tossing my ruined clothes aside, I then sprinted towards my built friend and chased him around the yard/pool a few times until he all but dove in the deep end as I closed in on him. A determined grin captured my lips as I followed right after him and by the time he resurfaced, I was there to push his head back under the water.

Kristoff and I continued to playfully try to dunk one another for a few minutes before another splash was heard and both of us ended up under the water. Gasping for a breath and blinking my eyes, I caught Sen's mischievous smirk. "You want a piece of me?" I swiped at her, making her swim away from me with a squeak, but she suddenly dove for me too.

"No. I want _all_ of you!" She declared, only to get dunked by a maliciously laughing Kida.

"Settle down, children. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye." Olaf's voice called out from somewhere behind us along with soft giggles from Elsa while we continued to swim after one another in a game that varied between Sharks and Minnows and Pool Tag Survivor.

"Nice palm trees." Kida taunted.

 _How dare she insult my swimsuit!_ "That top of yours is Nip Slip City." I shot back and then lunged at her, tagging her before frantically swimming away again. If I wanted to, I could have untied the back of it to prove my point. Luckily for her, I had honor.

"What's wrong with palm trees?" Kristoff asked, considering that Sen's two piece _also_ had the things on them.

"Oh, nothing. _Noibat."_ Kida waved them away. Even I had to cover a chuckle when Kristoff looked down at his own swim trunks. They had light purple tribal designs on one side and while that same side was white, the other half was all black with purple strings around his waist.

"Eariler you said, _Gengar._ " He snorted. "Make up your mind."

 _"Shellder!"_ Sen insisted.

"He kinda looks like _Nidoking_..." I added instinctively, but then shook my head at myself. "Okay. Count me out of this conversation." Swimming back to the steps to literally get away of it. "Palm Trees, out." I liked to think that I outgrew that particular phase. Though, the boys had gotten hold of Kida and Sen sometime ago and they were just as hooked as they were.

As soon as I got out of the pool, my bangs got in the way so I tried, unsuccessfully, to flip them away and when they didn't, I pushed a hand through my hair to slick it back. _Sheesh. Time to cut them again._ A slow, calming exhale left me before I leaned over to get one of the towels that had been set up on one of the lounging chairs and once I turned back around while drying my neck off, I was surprised to see Elsa staring at me.

Like, _outright_ staring.

My eyes automatically fell to my body as I tried to see if anything was out of place. There wasn't anything except the sunset and palm tree designs all across my stomach. When our eyes met again, I could suddenly see the soft hunger there in her telling eyes, but then she looked away when Olaf handed her a plate. My heart fluttered and I couldn't help but feel a little giddy. _You were totally checking me out._ I thought with a wide grin as I ran the towel along my body and hair.

When that was done, I practically skipped over to where Olaf was telling Elsa one of his stories. "...so Marshmallow has some kind of allergic reaction and its all over his face in nasty blotches. Mom's just positively freaking out and wants to take him to the ER and then my dad was like 'Now, let's not make any _rash_ decisions.'" He tried to bite back a snicker. "We all start giving high-fives like idiots and then she starts yelling at us!" Olaf's laughter rubbed off on the both of us and we didn't hesitate to join in.

"Didn't he go and basically get drunk on kid allergy medicine afterwards?" I asked, making him laugh harder.

"Yes! And I still have the video of him singing on my other phone." He wiped a tear from his eye.

"Now you see where he gets his quirkiness from." I nudged Elsa who tried to smile at me, but then virtually swallowed in nervousness. I didn't mind since I knew what was making her act like that. The fact that I hadn't showed this much skin yet was probably messing with her head and to say that I was enjoying and completely _flattered_ by her reaction would be a miserable understatement. It felt like she genuinely wanted me. "Hey." I whispered, getting her attention and once I had it, I leaned in to press a kiss to her lips.

She barely stifled the sweet sound that escaped her mouth.

"Oh yeah, Anna I wanted to..." Olaf trailed off, having just turned back around with a patty that slipped right through his tongs. "What's wrong with you!?" He suddenly yelped and covered his eyes. "I'm still a growing healthy boy and seeing you two like that-"

"Oh, shut up, pervert!" I barked out a laugh and began attacking his sides mercilessly.

* * *

Elsa's small grin had me returning it and when her fingers lifted to play against mine with a mixture of playful affection, I had to let out a chuckle. And then her fingers began crawling slowly up along my wrist. "Did that green-eyed woman give you good advice?" She asked so softly I wasn't sure I'd heard and it was a little hard to concentrate with her long fingers feeling the flesh of my forearm.

"Em?" I tried, making icy blues cut to me before I felt her hand stroked up my arm. "U-uh. Yeah- wait, how did you-"

"She should pick a perfume that doesn't smell like an old lady." Was her simple answer as her hand smoothed over my shoulder and then to my neck. "If I didn't trust you like I do, I could have sworn you were out with her doing who knows what." Her fingers reached into my still damp hair and I barely held back a groan I hadn't known was waiting to come out. "Did you tell her your plans?" Her voice was thick and when her fingers traced the outline of my brow and then down my nose, I had no choice but to tell her what she wanted.

"U-uh-huh." I stuttered. "She said she supports me." My gulp was audible at the same time her fingertips fluttered over my lips.

"Well, whatever she added to that," Elsa began, eyes turning just a bit more stormy when I moved against her hand, kissing each tip daintily. " _I_ support you." My heart soared at her words, but something else had the better part of my attention. It was interesting to entertain the idea as being a bit erotic to kiss her fingers and was proved right when I saw her swallowing thickly too. She smiled once more and then pressed the backs of her fingers to my cheek in affection. "My hearing is fine, by the way. It's just selective and I'm sorry that there was a moment you thought I wasn't one-hundred behind you on this decision." She whispered and I brought mine to grasp her hand then, feeling my heart in my throat.

"Esmeralda or no; _your_ support is the main one I need, Snow Paw." It was my turn to explore. "Thank you." I trailed my fingers upward, probably not in the same fashion that she had, but that was okay. I wasn't supposed to be like her. "You have no idea how happy I am." Once they traced up her bicep and over her collarbone, I noticed that her eyes refused to leave mine. There was something there brewing in those deep pools that I'd seen not too long ago. Passion. My fingers continued along her amazing jaw and then brushed along her full lips.

I about swallowed my tongue when she immediately kissed them and then I nearly lost it as I watched those lips part, tugging my finger between them. Her tongue felt hot, wet, and so velvety that I could only close my eyes against the sensation. A second finger was taken in and it had me snapping my eyes back open, giving in to that passion that seemed to envelope us.

Gently removing my fingers, I instead let my lips meet hers and our tongues wasted no time in greeting one another in a fiery dance that left the both of us open. She was silk tresses, soft clothes and completely scorching and I barely held back a groan when her hands clawed upwards into my hair, pulling me closer. An immediate gasp escaped me at the same time I felt her knee press against a place neither of us had ventured before, but Elsa easily swallowed it and continued to push against me. _F-fudge!_ That pressure I'd grown somewhat used to between my legs suddenly was too much and I needed to...relieve it somehow.

So I pushed back.

A quiet moan left Elsa and she practically squeezed her arms around me to hold me as we labored against one another for a few blissfully torturing seconds until an inevitable sound alerted my ears. At once, I broke the kiss and slid off to press into her side while my body cried out in betrayal. _Damn!_

"There you are." Kristoff's voice was too loud. He was too close and I wanted nothing more than to smack him. "Everybody's heading back in to watch one of the new _Star Wars_."

"We'll be there, just give us a minute." My voice was husky, breathless, but he didn't seem to notice. _Good._ Sitting up, I pushed my hands through my hair and took as many deeps breaths as I could without making it too obvious. Luckily for him, I couldn't exactly tear his head off for interrupting.

"Do you think I should tell her?" He asked after Elsa sat up to give me a seriously apologetic look. I stuck my tongue out at her before pecking her lips with a promise for later and then turned my attention back to my pondering friend. Even ignoring my protesting body in the process.

"Tell who? And what?" I asked, reaching back to tie my hair up, not missing the way Elsa's eyes lingered on my stomach. After the pool, I changed into a loose shirt with shorts and we found ourselves lounging behind one of the trees in the corner of the yard. It was the only place where they wouldn't feel obligated to bother us. Or so we thought.

"Sen." He sighed. "Do you think I should tell her about my parents?"

 _This again?_ I fought the urge to growl. "Do you love her?" My hand found Elsa's and she tangled our fingers.

"I think so." Was his timid answer. "I mean, I don't know how she'll feel when I tell her."

"Well don't give up before the fight's even started." I touched his knee since he'd sat next to us. "The truth is like a lion, buddy. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose and it will defend itself." A slap had him looking at me. "What she does next is on her. _You_ will be taking a chance by letting her all the way in and I think you'll be better off for it. Whatever way it goes."

A silence followed for a few heartbeats before his hand grabbed mine in a grateful squeeze. "You were probably a wise sage in your previous life." Kristoff chuckled.

"Eh, I just like the sound of my voice." I replied cockily with a shrug, making them laugh at me.

" _Anch'io._ " Elsa whispered thickly into my temple before pressing a loving kiss there while Kristoff got to his feet and offered us each a hand. I knew he saw that my face was flushed, but didn't ask as he put his arms around us with a genuine smile gracing his mouth.

"Thank you." He said to me.

"For what?" I asked, looking up at him.

"For being there for me." Our eyes met. "Back then and _especially_ now."

"Always." I set him with a confident set of my jaw and then stopped to wrap my arms around him as tightly as I could. " _Always._ "

He didn't hesitate to include Elsa in the hug and I suddenly felt a surge of protectiveness for them. All of them. When they didn't believe in themselves, _I_ wanted to be the one to tell them I did. Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Kida and Sen. I wanted them to know I was there no matter what and that time and distance wouldn't change that. Never mind _my_ personal heroes.

 _I_ wanted to be _their_ hero.

* * *

 _A/N: *smirks with a sense of accomplishment* this is by far the longest chapter! I'm happy with the way this one turned out. And since that wasn't the same thought last time, I feel this makes up for it. (But that's just me.)_

 _On a different note: I do recall an annony that mentioned that I was putting a lot into this story. I am. Judging from this chapter, I had to reflect on the support I didn't have either. But that's okay because it all makes an okay read, right?_

 _Anyway, enough nostalgia. I do hope you all liked it. Reviews=motivation and thanks for reading!_

 _Tootles~_


	41. Mine, Yours, and Ours

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _The French say the sexiest part of the affair is walking up the stairs, knowing I'm waiting for you in bed. And, yes, it's finally going to happen. Yes, I'm going to let you take me in every way that you want and yes my body will forever be haunted by yours. But for now, you walk up those stairs and I wait..._

My phone vibrated in my hand, making me forget about finishing what I was drabbling about on my note app to see who texted me. In _no_ conceivable way did I ever think of affairs being a good thing in whatever light, but Kida had given me a weird dare, telling me to write something about it like I was being prompted to by a potential editor right then and there. I did since I didn't back down from dares, but I forgot to save it. Too bad.

I got the ugly kind of chills crawling over me just thinking about it.

 _'I'll be waiting for you in the front of the school then.'_

 _'And I'll be over as soon as I can. See you soon, Snow Paw.'_

After reading that text and responding to Elsa, I then shoved my phone back in my pocket so I could get back to work. And away from Kida's stupid dare. From now on, I would heavily consider before going through with them. _Anyway, these cars aren't going to fix themselves!_ I tightened my ponytail with a grin stretching across my lips before going to join the others in the garage. It had felt like forever since I worked and I wasn't hating the old sensations of doing so whatsoever.

While Elsa and her own crew were off to do last minute checks on thing like: their insurance coverage, to see if their permits were up to date, making good on the local businesses that wanted to donate food, and other stuff that I wouldn't be able to keep up with, I returned to work. I only did because once Elsa tried to explain all of what she'd be doing to me, she took one look at my blank face and ended up just telling me that the Carnival was still on and I pretended to smack my head in realization. I knew it was a big job, but she was still determined to make it happen and so far, they had saved a good amount of money because previous successful carnivals had given people enough confidence to donate what they could. It was exciting and I couldn't wait, but when Elsa needed to focus, _I_ couldn't get in her way.

Of course I knew she could do it though. Not a doubt in my mind.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, _Cucciola!_ " Petro appeared out of nowhere and wasted no time in wrapping me up in a crushing hug, thus tearing me out of my reverie.

"He- heya, Petro." I grunted, pulling back as soon as he let go because I didn't want my undershirt to have any grease stains on it when I picked Elsa up. Usually, I wore a tank top at Black Bear and tied the sleeves around my waist when it was hot out, but I'd completely forgotten about bringing one that morning, so I just would have to deal for the next few hours. Once I zipped my uniform the rest of the way up, I returned his smile and playfully pushed his shoulder with mine. "How have you been?" I noticed he hadn't thought to look away yet.

"Eh, I've been good." He shrugged, eyes giving me another suspicious once-over. "It's good to see that you're fully intact and non-bruised this time around." His shiny teeth shown along with a softer nudge.

"It does feel good." I nodded in agreement, breaking away from him to saunter over to the newest car Marko pulled in. "What have we got here?" I asked when he got out.

"Oil change." The older man sent me his own smile, patted the hood and then pulled Petro away so they could work on a truck that was already up on the hoist. It was most likely one they'd already been fixing and I didn't mind. There was something different about Petro that I hadn't noticed before.

It was the way he looked at me.

Now, I couldn't be too sure if it had happened because of the fight Elsa and I had had, but since then I'd begun to feel a little more sensitive to her. _Now_ , I felt like I was seeing things through her eyes. The way Stuart flirted with me. Esmeralda. Petro. They all leaned a bit too closely for comfort and I felt I only realized how uncomfortable that made the love of my life until then. There was also the fact that I wasn't willing to give anything or _anyone_ the chance to break us apart. No way. I was aware that she told me she trusted me, but _I_ needed to believe I was trustworthy too. Conscious about that junk, at least.

In fact, since then, I had also begun to really notice the way others looked at her too. There was even a _name_ to one of them that made me flex my jaw just hearing about him. He was part of the committee. The student council had decided to recruit the sports players to help man the booths for the carnival, among other volunteers, but I wasn't concerned about them. _My_ concern was a Senior that had transferred to Arendelle around the same time Kida did and his name was Jeremy DeMatteis. All 6'1 manchild of him and his shiny white teeth, blonde luscious locks that he tied back in a short ponytail, his daring green eyes and broad shoulders...the catch? He was a total sweet, charming, and thoughtful _football_ player. (Basically all the girls' dreamy hunk and it drove me a little crazy.)

I actually hadn't even heard of him until I saw the guy waving back at Elsa after they'd been talking at her locker. Now, Elsa didn't take to people much, or easily, and while she still looked a little uncomfortable talking to him, she couldn't exactly walk away when he was talking to her. She was raised to be polite if nothing else. Kida had seen me watching him trot down the hall that day and didn't hesitate to inform me about what I knew of him. If there was ever a time for me to get jealous, it was then.

A loud clang sounded from behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts again with a slight jump. _Alright, that's enough._ I popped my neck. _Let's do this._

After doing about three other oil changes, Danny had appeared when I told him about what Giovanni had told me. "I thought drive belts didn't give in so easily." I said, wiping an itch on my nose and unknowingly smearing a bit of grease on it.

"Depends on how old it is." Danny smirked at me, pointing to his own nose to inform me. "On average a drive belt lasts for 45,000-75,000 miles or three to five years." There was a pause as we both checked out the front of the car and then he rolled up his sleeves while I prepared myself to learn something new. It was exciting. "With all the time you've been away, do you still know your stuff?" He asked around a sniffle before grabbing his handkerchief to blow his nose. _Ew._

"Well," I watched him with rapt attention, regardless of my last thought and even though he hadn't done anything yet. "If the drive belt breaks, the car won't be driveable." Was the beginning of my response.

"Uh-uh. And why's that?" He wasn't looking at me, but I still straightened my shoulders to finish my answer.

"If the engine runs without a drive belt, it could overheat as the water pump will stop circulating antifreeze through the radiator to cool the engine down." I knew I wasn't ready to do this particular job on my own yet, so I opted to entertain him while he did his work slowly enough so I could take note. "The battery light might come on because the alternator will stop charging the battery. A car with hydraulic power steering will also lose the steering assist, so the steering will become very stiff."

"Very good, Missy." Danny said with a smile in his voice. "From the looks of this though, we'll have to fix the tensioner too." I remembered that in order for the belt to work right, it needed to be under proper tension. _Okay._

He went on to explain to me that I would need more than basic mechanic skills, the proper tools and the belt diagram in order to do it properly by myself. I took note and helped him by taking the tire off and then the engine side cover to get better access to the belt. He told me that in some cars it was easy to take out the tensioner, but in others it could be a little tricky and that a special tool would be needed to release it.

"See this," He emphasized. "This tensioner doesn't fit. Someone tried to do it themselves."

"Which is why you recommend getting quotes before doing it yourself, right?" I grinned at him. "Or just bring it in if you tried learning."

"Exactly." He chortled. "Lucky for them, it's not that expensive."

"Anna! You're dad's here!" Marko called after a few more minutes of me paying close attention to Danny as he went on to explain how to do it.

Of course at the mention of my dad, my concentration broke. " _Oooo!_ Anna's in trouble." A collective taunt came from the other guys as I turned to look for him.

Sure enough, my dad was standing just outside the garage with a box in his hands. Curiosity piqued right then, but not before I shot wry looks at Petro, Giovanni and Marko because they were the ones still snickering. "Hey, what's up?" I asked when I stopped in front of him, already looking over what he was holding.

"Well, I went back to the house to pick up some paper work I'd forgotten this morning and then the UPS guy intercepted me." He held out the box. "I believe that's _your_ name on there."

"Awesome!" Instantly, I knew it was the jacket I'd ordered some time ago and that had me filled to the brim with excitement. "Thanks for bringing it to me, dad." I beamed at him and then threw an arm around his waist in a hug after taking the box. _I can't wait to see her reaction._ I thought giddily as he then handed me his pocket knife so I wouldn't have to wait to open it. Although, before I could, I remembered to check the time.

 _16:34._ The clock over Danny's office read. _Already?!_ Then again, I should have known two and a half hours would go by in a flash. Especially if I was having fun and working on cars usually did it for me. With an anticipated grin covering my lips, I then cut through the all the tape and flipped the box open to reveal a sleek black leather jacket. _Oh yeah._ Looking back up, I saw my dad talking with Danny and Petro, so I took that chance to sneak off to the restroom to try it on.

I didn't expect to get several messages and missed calls from Esmeralda, though.

* * *

16:58. Djali's

"Okay, so when I get a several back to back texts saying 'Emergency. Meet me at _Djali's_ right now!' I assume that you're either on fire or are being attacked by a pack of wild monkeys." I said with a confused grin as I set my helmet on the table before unzipping my newly treasured jacket and then sat down next to an unharmed, yet completely stressed-out looking Esmeralda.

"I was, but the monkeys had squirt guns and _they_ put the fire out." She began with a confident smile which instantly fizzled out into a more sheepish one as she pushed a hand through her thick mane. "That sounded better in my head." Came a groan.

"I'll bet." I shook my head and then checked my phone again for any new messages. Elsa said to pick her up sometime after five, so I hoped whatever I'd walked in to right then wouldn't take very long. Too bad there was no way to tell when it concerned the green-eyed woman.

"Seriously though," A big sigh from her made me pause mid-text to glance back at her curiously. _Since when is she not-_ What I saw there had me sending a shortened message to Elsa so I could give her my full attention. However, there was a somewhat uncomfortable stretched moment of silence until she finally said, "We set a date for the wedding." Emerald eyes caught mine in more fear than I'd anticipated.

 _What?_ It took me a second to digest because that wasn't the answer I'd thought she was going to tell me. _You couldn't be more wrong, Crescent._ My mind sneered, but I chose not to think anything else. "Oh sweet." I tried to ignore the look and weird signals she was giving off (which had contributed heavily to me thinking she was going to tell me she was pregnant) and folded my hands under my chin in genuine interest, dropping that stupid thought altogether. Because really, it was a wedding. Who didn't like weddings? But, for some reason, she seemed a lot more out of it than she should have been. "What's your problem?" I had to ask because she was confusing me. I had expected her reactions to be at least a _little_ happy.

"Nothing." She answered hastily before clearing her throat.

My eyes narrowed. "Isn't that the whole point of getting engaged in the first place?" I asked suspiciously. "To someday _marry_ that person?"

"It's just- it happened so suddenly." Pushing her hands through her hair again, I watched numerous emotions, questions and budding anxiety chase themselves around her face. "I can't do this. I can't do this." And now she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Can't do what? Stop freaking out." I frowned at her, willing myself not to freak out too. I had a tendency to get caught up in the moment when dealing with extreme emotions and she wasn't helping that quirk.

"It's in twelve days!" Green eyes flared at me, making me raise my hands in surrender. _Whoa._ I seriously hadn't seen anybody in real life act like that before and it was a little shocking. What got me was that just a few days ago we were sitting at that same booth and _she_ was helping _me._ From the looks of it, I needed to try to help her now. No matter how awkward. "So, I've been up almost all night since it happened and getting things together. I have all these choices to make by myself and it's so-"

"Why isn't he helping?" I asked, cringing slightly when she brought a scary amount of planning books, catalogs and what have you to spread them out across the table. _I'd be freaking out if I was buried under all that too!_ I couldn't even think straight because of it.

"He's out in New Haven working a case." She didn't bother to look at me. Instead, she opened a book to place a new sticky note on one of the pages. It had dresses in it. And then she went to make notes on another book that had more models and fluffier dresses.

"Well, when does he get back?" I had the sense to reach out to stop her so she didn't blow a gasket.

"Wednesday." Was the response on an exhale. "The case isn't one of his most pressing ones."

"Will there be a honey moon?" I tried to assuage her by sounding as interested as I could be in the more... _funner_ things rather than what was on the table. And just in case, I wanted to steer clear of her talking about him for the moment because what if she blew up at me for him not being there? _Oh man._ I gulped at the thought.

"Yeah. He keeps mentioning Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, but I'm not exactly sure where he wants to take me considering he can't very well take leave for too long." And then she skirted around the table to hold out a particular book under my nose. "Can you help me pick out a center piece?"

Part of me wanted to run the other way with my hands in the air because of the look in her eyes, but the more chivalrous part of me had me leaning over to take a better look at the two pictures she was pointing to. The arrangements were small, cute and I immediately pointed to the white one. "To me, all weddings are white." I added without much thought because it was true. Now, I knew what the white was supposed to symbolize, but the total essence of a wedding was white. I was traditional like that.

"Right." Esmeralda nodded and then pulled out a planner to check off _one_ box out of about a million others. _Oh man. Am I going to be helping her with the rest of the planning? Why is she doing it by herself? Doesn't she have..._

"Are you really going to do everything by yourself?" My eyes carefully searched over the stacks of catalogs and then the notes she was taking on that same planner. _May as well ask._

"It's not going to be a big wedding, I mean my parents are gone and Phoebus' are currently off excavating in the desert or something, so it shouldn't be that bad." Another sigh left her. "If you ask me, his parents weren't too thrilled about us even dating." Her lip curled and a squeaky falsetto voice replaced hers. "I don't exactly trust that gypsy girl." She cut her eyes to me and said in a normal voice. "You know I walked in on a conversation between them once? I know they don't like me."

 _Right._ "Emmie, you're not marrying _them._ " I rolled my eyes. "For the record, _this_ is a little out of my comfort zone." My finger tapped on the table, drawing her attention to the books that spilled over to my side. "You realize I'm only seventeen, right?" I didn't even think too highly of romantic comedies and only watched them when Elsa practically tied me down. As for wedding movies, I'd seen _Bride Wars, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,_ and _Runaway Bride_ thanks to Kida, Sen, and Elsa during one of their odd moods after Valentine's day. Those soon-to-be-wed ladies scared me then and now Esmeralda was having the same effect on me.

By the time I stopped thinking about those movies, she was already off on something else. "This seating chart is like one giant Sudoku." Esmeralda went on like I hadn't said anything at all. "I mean, if his parents come, he wants his mom as far away from the bar as possible and there are a bunch problems between his siblings that I'm not even sure who can tolerate who anymore."

"Emmie, Emmie-" I stopped her hands from erasing half the page and ducked my head to glare at her. "Calm. Down."

"Will you be my Maid of Honor?" She blurted, taking me completely by surprise.

"What?" I gaped, backing away and retracting my hands. "Maid of- i-isn't that supposed to be your _best friend's_ job?" I emphasized myself with startled eyes. "At the most, I'm a _friend_. I can't-"

"I need your help, Anna. I'm freaking out!" Even her breathing began to increase the more she pleaded.

"I teach you how not to be a spaz." I growled, lightly tapping her cheek with a promise for more force if she didn't settle down. Instead of freaking out too, I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated by her attitude. I could imaging the stress and whatnot, but the way she was acting felt strangely like she didn't...want to get married. Swallowing in finality, I added, "And you can't have me as a Maid of Honor." That was obvious.

"Why not? You're perfect." Her face twisted in disbelief like she expected me to say something different. In the back of my mind, I heard the same thing from Elsa's very mouth and that tipped me off on something about the woman sitting next to me, but I tried not to dwell on it.

"I'm _seventeen._ " I reiterated instead, eyeing the full table pointedly. "I can't help you with all this stuff! I can't even help Elsa in the last phases of the school carnival." _What is she thinking? I'm just a kid!_

"You won't need to!" She pleaded, reaching out to grip my hands. I froze at the look in her eyes. "I just need somebody solid. Somebody to keep me sane while I-"

"That's not my job." I cut her off, making her mouth click shut. I honestly wasn't sure why I'd said it like that, but I just knew I couldn't help her. Not now. Elsa was uncomfortable around her for a reason and I felt like I'd just seen that reason when she looked at me right then. Esmeralda liked me. She liked me and I had the ominous feeling that if I helped her like she wanted me to, she was going to get even closer and would more than likely get messed up in doing so. I couldn't let that happen. Regardless if it had already happened or not. "I'm with Elsa." My voice was less serrated as if to sooth the wound I'd just inflicted and my stomach twisted uncomfortably at the way her shoulders fell in defeat.

"...I know." Esmeralda suddenly cast her eyes away from me.

"I'm in love with Elsa." I continued with conviction. It was like Esmeralda and my relationship replayed from the beginning and it all became clear. Our age differences didn't matter to her. "Now, I can do my best to help you, but I can't be your Maid of-" Just before I could touch her shoulder to offer some reassurance, she suddenly turned back to lean in for a kiss I hadn't seen coming.

Luckily, my instincts kicked in faster than my brain and I barely managed to tilt my head down to avoid her lips. Her nose touched my forehead, but in the next instant, she shot away with a gasp. "I-I'm sorry!" Green eyes went wide with horror when I looked up and her hands covered her mouth in budding panic.

My first thought was what I had just written not that long ago. _Affair._ But, I shoved the thought aside because I wasn't going to let something like that happen. "It's okay." I shook my head of shock and stupidly reached out for her. Like a frightened animal, she jerked further back, making me stop my advance. "Emmie-" I tried.

"I'm such a horrible person." She stood up and would have bolted if I hadn't grabbed her hand.

"Cut it out." I demanded, not liking how she looked right then. Defeated. Crumbling under the pressure. Guilty. And now She was beating herself up so much, I could see it. What happened to that free-spirited, strong, playful girl I'd known just a few days ago? Because the one I was looking at now made me think of the way I felt watching those homeless animal commercials. Like I wanted to do something, but only had a limited source to do so. I couldn't help them all if I wanted and that wasn't a great feeling. "Look, I get that you're stressed about this, but that doesn't make you horrible." Maybe it was my naivety talking, I wasn't sure.

"I _wanted_ to kiss you." Esmeralda admitted, pulling her hand out of mine. "I didn't care that it would probably cause a rift between you two if it meant that I could taste your lips just once." Her arms wrapped around her stomach self-consciously. "I almost made _both_ of us cheaters." A scornful chuckle forced its way out of her mouth. "I'm falling for a seventeen year old." A step back. "You tell me how that's _not_ horrible."

I tried to digest that and come up with something, anything to say to her. But when I couldn't come up with an answer, she wiped her eyes and then left me there in my jumbled thoughts.

 _Crap._

* * *

Heading to the school.

I needed my Snow Paw.

I needed something that made sense to me.

Unfortunately, the sight of none other than Jeremy DeMatteis talking to her did nothing but rile me up some more. He may have been nice and all, but I wasn't in the mood to socialize with anyone but Elsa. There was only one thing to do and it made me smirk to myself. Seeing as there were no other cars but an oncoming one that had just stopped, I ignored the four-way and headed right for the two like I meant to crash into him.

Elsa had noticed me coming from a distance and was watching with interest as I deliberately revved my engine, coming closer. Jeremy turned to look too, but before he could even think, I screeched to a loud stop in front of them, allowing my tires leave black marks on the pavement in doing so. Letting the engine idle and flipping up my visor, I caught fetching icy blues first before glancing at confused green.

" _Gattina_." Elsa greeted happily, eyes alight as well and she seemed to forget she was talking to somebody. _Good._ I didn't care that he was taller than me by several feet, or that he was built and smelled all 'talcumy' like a Cabbage Patch Doll. _Or_ if he was completely hairless and made out of plastic. If he was trying to pick _my_ Elsa up, I wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass. I knew that showed in my eyes by the way he straightened a bit when I glared at him. Oh, yes I was jealous.

"Who the hell are you?" I barely restrained myself.

"Uh-" Jeremy tried to answer, but then closed his mouth when I revved my engine again. The sound was so powerful, menacing, and aggressive that he took an automatic step back. "It's actually not important." He settled with.

"That's what I _thought._ " I punctuated my words by twisting back the throttle and releasing the brake for a split-second. My bike shot forward by a few inches, but they were enough to send him jumping backwards with a yelp and he didn't waste time in walking away after making a fool of himself. _I'd be afraid of a lot of things if I were made of plastic too._ I kept my eyes on him for a second longer.

Elsa contained herself until he was out of earshot before bringing her hand up to cover a pleased giggle. On the other hand, I cut the engine and dismounted in a huff. Seriously. "Guess I'll need to bring my club next time." I muttered. "You'd think he was the last person to get the memo." Taking my helmet off, I let Elsa pull me closer by my pockets after shaking my hair out and wholly accepted the kiss she placed on my lips right in front of the school.

"Hi." Elsa murmured with a smile against my lips, making me return it automatically. Regardless that I was still thinking of the things he'd be afraid of. _Open flames, barbecue..._ "I think you got your point across, though." She added when we parted.

"Hi." I instantly grinned, forgetting about Jeremy then. "And I certainly hope so because _you_ -" I tapped her cute nose, making her bite on her lip from the action. "Are taken." In case she needed more, I added, "Not up for grabs, off the market-"

"Yours." Elsa finished for me before kissing my cheek.

"Mine." I agreed, turning back to retrieve her helmet and gave it to her. I didn't miss the way her eyes lingered on me and once I stepped closer, she brought her eyes up and smirked. Something she hadn't really done and I felt giddy all over again.

"Nice jacket." She whispered before pulling the helmet on.

* * *

The park.

After picking up a takeout order from Blackthorn's, we found ourselves at a more secluded part of the park just in the trees by the water. It was a place Elsa had found sometime ago, but we didn't have time to check it out and since it was a nice evening, we decided to venture there. Our dinner consisted of amazing chicken sandwiches, seasoned fries and soda from one of the vendors, but as we started talking, most of it was set aside thanks to loss of appetite.

"She didn't try to do anything else?" Elsa's voice was more confused than hurt when I told her about my meeting with Esmeralda.

I shook my head. "No. She just walked off after saying she was a horrible person." Elsa had asked more questions about the upcoming wedding and whether I was still going to go or not and I told her that I needed to try talking to her first. Of course she was against the idea of my being around her anymore, so I stuck to answering her other questions. That was until she'd asked that last one.

"Well she is." Elsa looked away to stare out across the lake with barely restrained anger. It was scary, but it was different when she was mad at someone else. I was surprised to find her a bit more attractive to me in that moment of watching her glare into the distance. If that was possible, anyway.

But. "Hey, now." I scooted closer so I could place my hand on hers. "I'm not saying that she had any right whatsoever to do what she did, or almost did, but she's still a friend of mine." I mean, she did help me when I needed it. Unless that was something else? It was hard thinking that she helped me for _her_ benefit. _Did she?_ I tried to think back to the first time I met her and every time after. _When did she start looking at me like that?_ Or had she felt that way from the start and that was the reason why I didn't see until now?

Letting out a frustrated groan, I fell back into the grass and threw my arm over my eyes while my brain brought it all back up. Her eyes had held such a look of longing, confusion, anxiousness, hurt and fear that I felt I would be haunted by it for the rest of my life. _This is insane._ Part of me wanted to just forget about the whole thing, but another part had me feeling a little bad. _Was I leading her on?_ Did I have a right to think something absurd like that when I was still only a child? _What about Phoebus?_ I had to wonder if she was still going to go through with the wedding and if so, I wondered if she would be okay with handling all of the planning.

 _I have to admit that it was kinda weird of her to ask ME, of all people, to help._ What was so damned special about me? _I'm only in high school!_ Before I could let loose another growl, I felt my arm being pulled away from my eyes and when they opened, I saw concerned arctic blues staring intently into mine. "Are you here with me?" She whispered gently.

"I desperately want to be." I sighed heavily, bringing my hand up to caress her cheek with the backs of my fingers. "Feel like helping me concentrate on you, instead? I really need something familiar, right now." My fingers traced over her brow, feeling the smallest indent of skin from the scar just above it. She'd gotten it when she was a Freshman; playing lacrosse in P.E.

"Well," Those blue eyes flared a bit and I looked down to see what she was tugging at. The zipper. "I do like this jacket." She grinned. "I guess I could try."

"Yeah?" I leaned up to press a soft kiss to her lips, pulling back with a knowing smirk. "Now I can't decide if I want to keep it on or let you take it off."

Elsa hummed her approval at the idea and then immediately lowered herself again to take my mouth in a long, deep kiss that made my toes curl. Thoughts of Esmeralda and Jeremy fled the instant our tongues met and I couldn't help the way my hands wanted to wander. Who could blame me when the love of my life was kissing me, with all of her just _right there?_ They slid up her thighs, grasped her by the hips to pull them over until she was straddling me. When she settled, I stroked my hands up her back to feel the slim lines of muscle beneath her shirt, anything to get the contact I'd been wanting. _Always_ wanted.

A soft sigh was passed between us as she moved away from my mouth to work those searing lips along my jaw to my ear and then slowly down my neck. It left me weak. Weak in the knees and weak to resist traveling across her waist to tug at the back of her shirt to loose it from her skirt. Elsa did her best to stifle a moan when my hand slipped under the hem of her newly untucked shirt, feeling the insanely soft bare skin and just as I got to her ribs, she released an uncharacteristic low whine. "Do you even know where we are, right now?" Leaning away, she then placed her forehead on mine with that question still in her eyes.

"Paradise." I answered with a stupid grin, taking my hands out from under her shirt.

"More like _public_ Hemingway Park." Elsa replied, returning her own smile before sliding off to cuddle into my side. Off to the other side of one of the thick tree trunks, we both heard the familiar sounds of ducks that usually hung out nearby because people fed them more than their own pets.

"Could have fooled me." I snickered, pointing at a mother duck leading her young into the water. "Those would easily pass for Cherubim in the place I was imagining." A pause. "Well, no. They actually looked like Turtleducks." I grinned.

"Turtleducks?" She made sure to raise a questioning brow at me.

"Yeah." I nodded enthusiastically. "They have the turtle shell, but the rest is pure duck. Pretty cute if you ask me."

"You dork." Elsa kissed my cheek.

"I'm _your_ dork, though." As I pointed that out, I hauled myself up and offered my hand to her so we could get back indoors before the sun fully disappeared. I really did love that it didn't go all the way down until after eight. More time with Elsa was always best.

" _Turtleducks_." She shook her head with a giggle as I lead her away with our fingers entwined and a near permanent smile on my face.

* * *

The Loft.

"Okay, okay, so why does Letti have all _these?_ Or do they belong to you?" I asked, holding up one of about a handful of shower caps that were strewn out on the coffee table. Elsa unbuttoned and tossed her blazer over the couch before a short chuckle left her mouth, murmuring in amusement about how I could think they were hers.

"She just got her hair done." Was her final answer.

"But it's so beautiful!" I gaped back at Elsa as she sat down on the couch, _not_ missing the extra buttons she'd undone on her shirt after loosening her tie. _Woof._ Of course, I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. Yet.

"The shower caps?" Blue eyes flickered with mirth, making me roll my own in mock exasperation.

"No. Letti's hair." Without thinking, I tore one of the packages and pulled a light pink one out to examine it better. A devious grin stretched across my lips as an idea popped into my head and I didn't hesitate to stealthily open another one.

"What can I say? _Mami's_ license is about to expire and she wants to look good on it for the next couple of years." While Elsa was talking, she was too busy bringing papers out of her bag to notice me slipping the cap onto my head and when she did look back, there was a startled snort of laughter. "What are you-"

" _Shh!"_ I immediately moved to stand over her and then leaned down to try prompting her for a kiss.

She ended up moving away at the last second to bark out another laugh, but kept her hand on my cheek. "I-I can't!" Another giggle that began to build. "You look like you're ready to go make donuts, or recalibrate an Intel Pentium processor."

 _Whatever that is._ I barely held myself together as I pulled away, only to bring the other shower cap out. "Okay." Clearing my throat, I did my best to fix it on to her head with a straight face. She tried to protest at first, but I was successful in the end and she didn't wait to show me her unamused face when my hands left her hair. Which broke into half a grin not a second later as I smiled widely at her. "Snow Paw, you are so damn sexy! That baby blue really brings out your eyes." I waggled my eyebrows playfully and after another sober minute of us straining, we both ended up giggling at one another.

"Scratch that, you look like you're about to maybe give somebody an epidural." She held a hand over her mouth to try to stifle her growing laughter, but once there was an opening, I stopped and pressed a kiss to her cheek. And then her jaw. Neck, shoulder, necklace; all while my body moved to settle between her legs and once I felt her stop moving altogether, I pressed another kiss to her stomach.

Elsa was completely still by the time my hands settled on her hips and let out a small gasp when I pulled her hips closer to the edge of the cushion. But after placing another meaningful kiss _just_ a bit lower, I instantly sprung back up into her line of vision with a ridiculously theatrical look of surprise. " _It's a boy, Mrs. Culpepper!_ " I stated like it was the greatest news mankind had ever gotten, even holding a hand up like the women in those old movies did.

Blue eyes went wide and when it hit her, she threw her head back with unadulterated laughter bursting from the pits of her stomach. I would have loved to just sit there and marvel at the extremely powerful beauty before me, but with our shower caps and all, I was already too busy falling over myself in hysteria to do it.

The turmoil of the afternoon didn't bother crossing my mind for the rest of the night.

* * *

 _A/N: I don't even know what I'm writing anymore XD (Frankly, with all the late night thunderstorms I've had to sit through, it's no surprise that I'm a bit out of it.) But it didn't stop me from trying to get another chapter up...so there. Also, if the engine stuff is wrong...my bad!  
_

 _Anyway, fear of mother nature aside and my own giggles for that last part, thank you for reading!_

 _Tootles~_


	42. Too Hot

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"What about a nonalcoholic pub crawl?" Sen wondered out loud in a partially ecstatic voice, making me turn over from my spot on the floor to snort at the ridiculousness of that suggestion.

"Sen, it's Senior ditch day, not senior _citizen's_ ditch day." I couldn't stop the chuckle that left my mouth and even got Kida and Elsa to join in for half a second until lethal honey-colored eyes shut us up. _Guess she actually thought that would pass?_

"Give me some _real_ ideas, guys." Kai pointed to Aladdin, Gerda, and Elsa like they were his only hope.

"The zoo?" Al tried, just as unsuccessfully as Sen.

"What about the movies?" Gerda patted Aladdin's head to soften the glare Kai shot at him too.

We were sprawled out around the back of the public library because Olaf and Kida were going to try to start studying for their SATs. Kristoff and I had gone to see if we felt like it, seeing as he wanted to follow right after me into the Military. (There was still the ASVAB we had to take too, but today just didn't feel like a day to do that.) On the other hand, Sen and Elsa had tagged along with us too, but we also ran into Kai, Gerda, Aladdin, and Hans. Now the seniors were trying to figure out where they could go and what they could do on the aforementioned senior ditch day since they'd managed to catch Elsa. All while Kristoff and I started playing _Mobile Strike_ on our phones.

"This day is supposed to be the most amazing and unforgettable day of our high school lives and so far we only have: going to watch grass die at the park, lame trips to the zoo and movies, _and_ watching old geezers nurse tonic and gin on our list." Kai lamented before straightening back up to look at Sen curiously. "Who are you again?"

"She's with me." Kristoff sat up at glower at him as if he was trying to hit on her.

"And _you_ are?" Kai didn't get it and the rest of us had to chuckle at the idiots.

"Kai, the rest of you," I sat up too and addressed the two different groups who had unknowingly meshed together when they saw Elsa with us. "These are _my_ friends: Kristoff, Kida, Olaf and Sen." Glancing at them, I waited for an acknowledgement from either side and then gestured to the older bunch. "And they your seniors: Aladdin, Kai, Gerda, and Hans." Before I could explain that Sen was also a senior who went to a different school, I was interrupted.

"Oh. We _know_ Hans." Kida smirked from her place across from Olaf, making said guy roll his eyes and turn away from the group. I could have questioned why he was there too, but if their earlier planning had anything to do with it, I already had an answer. The guy was just so awkward to me now, it bordered on funny.

"Aren't libraries supposed to be for reading?" He deadpanned.

"Thank you!" Olaf cried, throwing his hands up thankfully and then glared at me like _I_ was personally responsible for everyone being there.

"Don't be a nerd, Hans." Gerda shot him a smug grin. His head snapped back to her with a reply right on the tip of his tongue.

"Just go to Six Flags!" Olaf snapped, making Hans close his mouth. "There, dilemma solved. Can I get back to studying now?" As he buried his nose back in his book, I nibbled on my lip to keep quiet and glanced around the good-sized group.

"The kid has chosen wisely." Kai whispered, actually heeding Olaf's request for silence.

Other looks of agreement were exchanged between the seniors and a group text was sent out to the rest of the senior class, but when they left, Elsa came to sit beside me once again. "Won't going to Six Flags be pretty much the same thing as going to the carnival?" Her voice also was mindful of Olaf who had gone right back to his books with Kida following diligently behind him.

Rolling over to eventually sit up, I let a smirk stretch over my lips and then leaned closer to her ear. "I love it when you're cocky."

Elsa shot back to raise a confused brow at me until my meaning caught up and she shook her head with a self-conscious little giggle. "That- I wasn't talking about the carnival rivaling-"

 _Love that modesty._ "I know." I pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose before taking her hand and getting to my feet. "The carnival's going to be _so_ much better." I snickered, making a light flush capture those cheeks of hers as she stood too. "We're going to split." My foot touched Kristoff's in parting, which made him practically spring up.

"Yeah, I think we should too." He directed his attention to Sen who'd been lounging in one of the comfy chairs behind Kida's seat. The girl instantly flipped the book she'd been reading closed and took his proffered hand after he put his phone in his pocket. _This isn't over_ written all over his mock-sneering face with mine telling him that it totally wasn't. (Honestly, my battery was dying because I'd been playing it since I woke up, but he didn't need to know that.) _Smart, aren't you?_

"I agree." Sen nodded toward the other two still at the table. "I think they could use the quiet." Turning back, she pressed her finger directly to Kristoff's chest. "And _you_ still have to take me to the movie I wanted watch since forever ago, Mister."

"Why do you insist on _that_ one?" He groaned, letting her pull him away regardless. Elsa and I followed behind them with secretive grins on our lips. "It's like you want to know how to be- wait. Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"Oh hush, you big baby." She giggled over her shoulder. "I heard from a very reliable source that it's pretty funny."

"Your drug dealer's opinion doesn't count." He snarked, making her pause to slap his shoulder and they erupted into a short laugh just after while he held the door open for the rest of us to pass through.

When they eventually disappeared around the corner once we got outside, I turned to the love of my life. "I think they're compatible, no?"

"They bicker like a married couple." Elsa deduced.

A short hum left me. "I like to think of that as _healthy teasing_." I lead her in the opposite direction to where her beetle was waiting for us. As much as she loved hanging onto me while we zoomed through town, she didn't want her car feeling left out so we opted to take hers today. I still wore my jacket for fun though. "And if you say _they_ act like a married couple when they 'bicker' like that, what exactly does that make us?" I had to ask once we got to the Smurfette. She instantly spluttered, but my mouth had already opened again. "Got it. We're the more _attractive_ married couple."

"Anna!"

"I'm joking!" I leaned against the car as my cackling reached its peak. Her reactions were always so priceless and endearing that just I couldn't resist teasing her.

"Ha-ha." Elsa stuck her tongue out at me and then quickly got in the car before me so she could lock the doors again. _She didn't._ Amusement filled me to the brim.

"Hey, this is _very_ mature of you, Ms. President." I snickered after trying and failing to open my door. Leaning down to peer through the window, I made sure to catch her eyes. "I bet Sen doesn't lock Kristoff out of the car when it's a million degrees outside!" Try as I might, I really couldn't stop smiling at the playful side of Elsa Mariani nobody got to see. (Regardless that I was currently looking like a complete fool standing outside, trying to get her to unlock the door.)

"I'm sure she does." Elsa deliberately turned the cooler on and directed it at herself. _That's dirty._ "And if it's so hot, why did you wear your jacket?"

"Because you can't take your eyes off of me when I'm wearing it." I smirked cockily, making her mouth almost twitch into a smile. Not the mock-spiteful one she'd been giving. "Come on, let me in." I tried the handle again, but when she only looked straight ahead, I leaned heavily on the door. "I _will_ sing and embarrass you right here and now, Elsa Mariani." Came my first and final warning. "Open the door!"

"You wouldn't." She called my bluff and I pushed off the door with another idiotic grin tugging at my lips.

"Wouldn't I?" My finger pointed at my chest. "Who do you think you're talking to?" Taking a few steps back until I was in the middle of the next empty parking spot, I took a quick glance around to see if anybody was still in their vehicles or getting out. As luck would have it, an elderly couple was coming from one of the buildings and I grabbed that opportunity to motion at an incredulous Elsa. "I'm not giving up on us, baby! Even if it means I have to be a fool for you!" I announced with all the gracelessness I could muster, like a bad seventies movie.

The couple I'd hoped to nab attention from, stopped short of getting in their car and I sang the first song that came to my mind.

 _"'You are...my fire.'"_

Blue eyes went even wider than before. Possibly as wide as I'd ever seen them and that only inspired me to push it a little further because I wanted to be able to laugh with her about this someday.

 _"'The one...desire. Believe,'"_

I unzipped my jacket and threw it down before starting the next part, making sure to let the emotions fly.

 _"'When I...say,'"_

My hands came out to bare my soul to her while I was howling with laughter on the inside.

 _"'I...waaant it thaaaat way~!'"_

Elsa wasted no more time and kicked the car into reverse, rolling the window down as soon as she stopped on the other side of me. "Get in!" She yelped frantically, but I took my time to bow to the couple that was now applauding me and then snatched my jacket back up, only to stumble over myself to get in when she pulled forward the slightest bit. As soon as I was safely settled in my seat, I released the gigantic laugh that had been dying to get out from that first look of horror she'd given. _Classic!_

* * *

The Loft.

"You're in denial." I grinned.

"Am not." Elsa fervently kept her eyes away from mine.

"Are so."

"Am not."

"You liked it."

"Did not."

"You were totally singing along."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." My hands came up to rest on either side of her head since she didn't want to look at me. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." I whispered, coaxing her to turn her head by rubbing my nose against her cheek.

"I know that you went ridiculously old school today." She muttered, doing her best to keep a neutral face.

"Uh-huh. And melted _this_ heart of yours with the greatest boy band you know you had a crush on in elementary."My hand came up to place itself directly in the middle of her chest and I didn't miss the slight stutter in her next breath before she cocked her head to let me see her unamused expression. It only lasted for a short moment and then I watched her confidence falter substantially, which had me internally panicking until she gathered herself some.

"Would it be too much to ask you not to talk to her anymore?" Was the question that automatically made me think that she'd been thinking about it for a while now. If it had bothered her enough to bring that up instead of going along with me for a few more minutes, of course it needed to be addressed.

 _That's that, I guess._ "I can't do that." I shook my head, deciding to save my song choice and goofy behavior for later to ultimately take a seat beside her on the couch. "Look, I know you didn't like her that much before and you probably just plain despise her now, but _I_ have to be more forgiving." I tried to reason. "I mean, she's my _friend._ " In truth, Esmeralda had been my friend even before I began talking to Elsa regularly and it felt a little wrong to just blow her off now. Especially when she needed to get a few things straightened out with herself and I.

"How can you do this to me?" Blue eyes filled with other emotions including a good amount of hurt. "It's going to kill me to see you talking to her, _knowing_ that she tried to kiss you!" It was the first time Elsa had ever attempted to raise her voice and I had the strange pleasure of feeling the power behind it. The passion. Her protectiveness of me and flattering jealousy had an impact that shot to my core and had me turning to face her better. It was still mind-blowing to see she genuinely liked me so much. Loved me. _Even better._

"Do you trust me, Snow Paw?" I tenderly reached up to cup her delectable cheeks and made sure to catch her profoundly dazzling eyes with mine. "Do you believe that I love you and _am_ in love with you?"

"Yes." She answered without the slightest hint of hesitation, making me smile because of it. "But-"

"Then it really shouldn't matter who I talk to, right?" My hands moved back into her hair rolling her head gently. "I _didn't_ let Esmeralda kiss me, you have to remember that." When Elsa still didn't look too convinced, I pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I'm with _you._ " Another kiss. "I would rather lie down in traffic than hurt you and I'm pretty sure she knows it too."

There was a soft pause before her eyes shifted a bit. "And if, say, _Jeremy_ were to try to ask me out again? What if he tried kissing me?"

 _Again?_ My nose flared almost instantly. "That depends on if _you_ let him kiss you or not." I sighed and leaned away, not liking the feeling that twisted my stomach from the very real possibility. _Gross._ "Personally, I think he has a freakish donkey face." As soon as the statement left me, I had to go on. "There's also the fact that he has a stupid frictionless, mannequin body that should earn him the super-lame-villian title: _Plastic Man_. If not, then I can say that he's a total _Pablo Escobar._ " I couldn't actually prove that Jeremy sold drugs, but I _could_ say that a few years from now he would probably look like the drug lord if aging was mean enough to him. One could only hope.

" _Whoa._ " Elsa raised her hands in surrender, looking at me like she couldn't believe I'd just said all those things. "I- I didn't know you felt so strongly about him." An amused huff. "If _I_ ever said anything about... _her_ like that-"

"But you won't." I nearly snapped. Jeremy DeMatteis really just rubbed me the wrong way and the fact that she'd brought herself and him up together so casually made me want to punch something. "You're _far_ too classy of a lady to bash someone like I would and I freaking love that about you." I sat up and directed my heated gaze to the floor.

There was a thick moment of silence that followed where I had to try to think of something else besides this conversation so I wouldn't say anything stupid. Of course, I couldn't. I mean, was it possible to hold so much distrust and dislike for someone I didn't even have the slightest clue about? For all I knew he could have been the sweetest person on earth with a sick grandmother or something along those lines and there I was, talking trash about him. Was I an awful person because the mere thought of him looking at Elsa made my blood boil? _Is this how she feels about Esmeralda?_ I wouldn't doubt it, actually.

"I'm sorry." Elsa whispered after a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence. "I shouldn't have brought him up."

"It's okay." I cleared my throat, still not looking at her. "I think I understand how you feel about Esmeralda now." Bringing my hand up, I unclenched my fist and stared at the indents of my nails in my palm. How did it get so rough so fast? We were just talking about _The Backstreet Boys_ minutes ago for crying out loud! _Stupid jealousy._

"Do you trust _me_ , _Gattina?_ " Elsa asked, reaching over to close my palm again and cup it in both of her warm hands. When my eyes left our hands, I found myself staring into firm, searching cerulean irises.

"Of course I do." Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Jeremy and other potentials? Not as much."

"What have I done?" She shook her head with a soft giggle, nudging my temple with her nose before kissing me there too.

"Think of it as payback for me not seeing how these other people were making you feel." I had to smile when she quietly snorted. "We're ridiculous, aren't we?"

"A little bit." Came her sheepish agreement with another kiss to my lips. It was sweet, forgiving and I freed my hand so I could reach up to caress her cheek. "And I love how _you_ can say something when you know don't like, or agree with it." She added. Again, it wasn't hard to see just how much power we held over one another and I never wanted to abuse that. So instead of continuing on on how we usually ended little exploring kisses like this, I thought of something else to do.

"B-before we get caught up-" Pulling back slightly, I spoke against her tasty full lips. "Would you like to play a game with me, Snow Paw?" Blue eyes slowly opened as she leaned further away from me.

"What kind of game?" She asked, interest and curiosity flickering across her features.

"It's something I've been thinking of for awhile now." I replied with a lopsided grin. "Actually, I wanted to play it on Valentine's Day, but-" I gave her cheek a quick kiss before standing to my feet again. "I liked the way we spent it." Which was just us driving up to the lookout point after dinner, playing around with our cameras and deserts and then we went back to my place to watch a movie. Letti and my dad had gone out with Oaken, so we didn't have to worry about them being lonely. I personally liked that they got along like they did.

"Me too." Elsa smiled as she watched me dig through my bag for a box of _special_ chocolates I'd brought along in case I actually got her to agree to play. (Luckily they hadn't melted.) "Though, I'm still not sure how chocolate ended up behind my ear." Her after thought gained a smirk from me.

"I'm just that good." I snickered and then motioned for her to follow me with my head. She gently smacked my leg when I passed, but didn't hesitate to do just that.

"Is there a reason we're going to my room?" She asked once we were halfway up the stairs.

That reminded me. "When does Letti come back today?" I made sure to keep the chocolate out of her line of vision and then turned to face her.

"Usually after six on a busy day." She answered, making me check my watch. _15:29._

"We should have enough time." I couldn't stop the smile from capturing my lips and when she only sent me a curious look, I rolled my neck like I was preparing to box. "Okay, so the gist of this game is that _I_ say an equivalent to 'I love you' and _you_ have to guess the name of the language."

"Simple." Elsa nodded and then narrowed her eyes at me. "But there's more?"

"That's where _these_ could come in handy." I brought the chocolate out from behind me so she could see. Blue eyes widened in surprise rather quickly.

" _Kahlua Choco-_ where did you get this, Anna?" She took the box from me and turned it in her hands, scoffing a bit at the 'Suitable for Adults Only' tag.

"I have a fake ID." I stated, but chuckled sheepishly just as fast as she turned sharp eyes to me. "Kidding. I got it from Olaf- his brother. Well, Olaf got it from his brother as a joke for Christmas and once I told him about playing this game with you, he gave it to me."

"Seriously?" She looked skeptical.

" _Please._ " I waved her thought away. "Marshall's an idiot and Olaf's way too smart a guy to get messed up by himself. Trust me when I say he'll only drink unless you practically force it down his throat." Taking the box back, I placed it on her desk. "We don't have to eat them though, I hear it kinda sucks to mix a ton of sugar with alcohol." I shrugged.

"Have you-" Not knowing exactly how to ask, Elsa just gestured to the box.

"Freshmen year." I rubbed the back of my neck, allowing myself to remember that night. "We were young and dumb." A raised brow from her had me rolling my eyes. "Okay, _younger_ and _dumber._ " Feeling like I needed to expound a bit, I muttered, "Kristoff needed a distraction." But that was all I said about it and Elsa seemed to understand, which I was very thankful for. I didn't like talking about it unless he was there.

"I have too." Elsa admitted with a cute blush tinting her cheeks. "Sophomore year. My parents had a nasty fight, dad stormed out and _Mami_ left her fourth glass of wine on the table." It was her turn to be the sheepish one while I nodded in understanding. _Nice mood set up here, Crescent._ My mind snickered at me, making me cough to disperse the somber air.

"Right. Now that we've established all _that,_ " I rolled my eyes and Elsa shook her head too. "Are we going to play or what?"

"Depends on what the catch is." She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk.

"Are you ready for it?" I asked, stepping around her to turn her computer on so I could play some music.

"Surprise me."

"We strip." I'd said so simply that I heard her stumble a bit to look back at me.

"W-what?" She was definitely surprised and I so wished that I could have seen it happen.

Alas. When I found one of the playlists I'd made some time ago, I straightened, still not facing her just yet. "If you can guess the correct name of the language I say 'I love you' in, you get to strip one piece of clothing from me. Socks count as an individual item, by the way." I moved, but kept my eyes away from her for effect. "But if you get it wrong, _I_ get to take something off of you." My gaze finally found hers and I had to bite into my lip to keep from laughing at her. I'd never seen her face so red before! "Simple, right?"

"Uh-" she chuckled uncharacteristically and then I caught her eyeing her closet.

" _No_ you can't add more layers than you already have, cheater." I shook my finger professor-like at her.

"Well, it's kind of not fair." She started, pushing her hair behind her ear nervously. "Seeing as _you_ already know how to say it in different languages."

I thought about that for all of two seconds and then reached for the box of chocolates so I could open it. "I'll give you a hint about where the language is from if you get the first guess wrong. Fair enough?" Taking one out, I took a minute to really think if I wanted one or not and then blinked when Elsa snatched it from me.

"I guess it's a good thing you brought these then." Elsa fumbled with it for a bit until I stopped her.

"We can leave the stripping part out if you want." I made sure to keep her gaze as I squeezed her hand pointedly. The last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable. "It was just something my incredibly pervy, yet extremely brilliant teenage mind came up with." A lopsided grin.

"Eat one with me." She whispered. "Because if I'm going to end up... _naked,_ " There was a breathlessness there that had me swallowing thickly. "I-I want you to be naked too." A fierce blush etched on to her face which shot to mine and we stood there like idiots with _I Kissed A Girl_ playing in the background until I blindly reached for another one.

"Ch- _Prochnost_ then." I tried to keep my voice from stuttering, but failed miserably of course. (Even with the _Russian!)_ On the other hand, Elsa cleared her throat and bumped her chocolate against mine with a murmured toast in Italian.

It tasted rather disgusting, but we managed at least two more before giggling like dorks.

"Hope you're not a lightweight." I nudged her playfully. Actually, I felt like I could already feel it mixing in my stomach and in turn, there was a smile that wanted to stay on my face. _Is it hot in here?_

"I think you've ruined chocolate for me." Elsa sucked at her teeth, making a disgruntled face just after and I didn't hesitate to catch her cheek so I could kiss her. It lasted for half a second and then she leaned away with a giggle, covering my mouth as she did so. "Ew..."

Ignoring that, I took two more out and placed one in her hand. "With this fourth one, I feel like we'll be making a bold choice." I bit back a snicker. "Like _Thelma & Louise._" Or at least this was probably the way they felt before making it, whatever _it_ was, right? _Uh._

"It sounds like _you're_ the lightweight." Elsa reluctantly took the chocolate and popped it into her mouth. I imagined her partially swallowing it whole, because that's what I did.

A warm feeling fell over me and I rubbed my hands together. "Alright. Anymore and I'll probably want to watch a _Katherine Heigle_ movie with you, Snow Paw." I grinned at her. "Like, sit down and really _watch_ it."

"I thought you just said _Thelma-_ "

"Stop making me sound like I'm already out of it." I poked her cheek and then sat down on the couch she'd managed to get up there some time ago. "Are you ready?"

"I think so." She flopped beside me with this cute little grin that only grew when she looked at me. "Are you?"

Honestly, I was trying to think. And what I was thinking was that maybe we shouldn't have had that much liqueur chocolate. I mean, _how_ was I supposed to remember how to say 'I love you' in _Arabic?_ _Crap._ Sitting back up, I thought of a way to buy some time to try to get my muddled mind in order. "M'kay, you can put a jacket on. I'll go get mine too." She surprisingly understood what I meant.

"Please don't fall down the stairs." Elsa leaned over to press a loud kiss to my cheek, pulling back just after like she hadn't meant for it to make that noise.

"You're adorable." I grinned stupidly at her and then hauled myself up so I could get my jacket. _Why'd I take it off in the first place?_ I didn't know, but I knew I needed to remember how to say 'I love you' in _Ethiopian_. Or was it _Arabic?_ _Shoot._ As I grabbed said jacket, I let my eyes wander around the living room like it would provide some sort of clarity. It didn't. _Double shoot._ Instead, I went to raid the fridge for fruits, water and soda because that was all they had and frankly, we didn't need anymore hardcore sweets.

Coming back up the stairs, I couldn't stop the giggle that left my mouth when I thought about something funny I'd seen on my phone earlier with Kristoff. Elsa was at her computer, white sweater on and scrolling through the songs. It looked interesting so I stopped and dumped the snacks on the other side of her. "Whatcha lookin' for, gorgeous?" I murmured into her shoulder.

"I can't find the song you were singing earlier." She looked like she was focusing too hard so I brought my hands up to massage her shoulders, which she tried not to giggle at.

"You mean-" I took a deep breath, getting ready to belt it out.

"Do _not_ sing it." She turned to press her finger to my lips, mashing them a little harder than she intended, making me let that breath out and we ended up snickering for no other reason than the raspberry my lips made against her finger.

"They probably weren't a good idea, were they?" I asked, stepping back with a seemingly permanent grin on my lips.

"Katherine Heigle or _Thelma & Louise_?" Elsa left the song on _Tongue Tied_ and went to sit back down.

"All of them." I chuckled. My plan of trying to get my mind in order again didn't quite work, but I knew I could do a few languages other than _Armenian_. Or was it _Ethiopian?_ _Screw it._ It'd been kind of a pain having to read the translations and then listening to the audio to try to get them down and I'd done several enough to cement a them in my mind. Like one from a certain movie I was _sure_ Elsa didn't know.

"Are we going to keep our clothes on then?" She asked when I hesitated long enough, but as soon as she said that, I scoffed like she was crazy.

" _No!_ " I waved her away. "Imma get that jacket off you 'cause you're wearing my shirt and I like it." Was that right? I blinked. "The shirt you're wearing. I like it on you." I tried to clarify. She was wearing my _Gas Monkey_ shirt again and there was just something about it that drove me crazy.

"I got that." Elsa sat up a little straighter with a warm smile on her lips.

"Making sure." I again rubbed my hands together. "Okay, I'll start with somethin' super easy." Elsa let out a breath in preparation. "I love you." I snickered, trailing my finger down her cheek as slowly and smoothly as I could. It felt like I was petting her.

"I think that's _English._ " Elsa rolled her eyes, not resisting the urge to pat my cheek like I'd done a good job.

"Don't gotta be so brash about it." I snickered. "You'll make me feel like my favorite love song was written about a sandwich." I was also liking this Elsa before me. _This one_ _teases me._

"It probably was." Elsa caught my hand to kiss it. "Your rules, not mine." Slightly glazed blue eyes met equally glazed teal. "Lose the shirt, but leave the jacket on."

Taken by surprise, I fell off the couch, only to spring back up to find her covering her laugh behind her hand. "I love it when you're feisty!" I tried to put on a brave face for all of two seconds before clumsily leaning over to grab the box of chocolates. "Your wish is my command, but I need another one." After opening it, I placed the chocolate between my teeth, I got on my knees and then pressed the other half into her mouth before she could protest and bit into it.

A small unsuspecting sound escaped her as the liqueur-booze-goo slid between our mouths and I didn't hesitate to swallow the chocolate so I could clean up the mess I made. Elsa stiffened when I deliberately sucked on her bottom lip and even bit back a growl as I tugged on it enough to get a satisfying 'pop' when I released it. Without another word, other than a smug smirk, I stood to my feet and let my jacket fall to the floor first before pulling my shirt up and off my body. From where I was standing, I could see Elsa's throat working to get her saliva down and I couldn't help but toss my shirt at her face.

" _OMG_ , Elsa. Don't be a perve!" I gasped in a squeaky falsetto voice, picking my jacket back up to hold it against my chest. She flushed a brighter red and covered her eyes with another giggle. _Wait. Something's not right._..when I thought over my own rules, I brought a hand up so smack my forehead. Of course. "How come you didn't remind me that _you_ were supposed to take my shirt off?"

"I was?" Elsa brought her eyes to mine, to the shirt in her hands and then me again. " _Oops._ "

I shrugged because it wasn't that big a deal right? I mean neither of us have taken off... _good job, Crescent._ "Oh well, I'll remember this time." Ignoring that last thought, I sat down again. " _Wo ai ni._ " A sweet smile directed at her.

Elsa thought about it for a few seconds and then repeated it out loud, mouthing them next while I watched with rapt attention. Or, as much as I could with my brain feeling a little fuzzy. Somewhere I heard her mention that ' _ai'_ was written in _Kanji_ and that meant that it probably had Chinese origins. " _Mandarin?_ "

"I would have settled for _Chinese_." I hummed and then gestured to myself. "Take your pick." I did _not_ miss the way her eyes slowly and very deliberately raked across my body, but fidgeting under her gaze was unacceptable. For now. She played it safe and reached down to pull a sock from my foot. "This jacket is going to be the very last isn't it?" I asked, making her smirk back at me.

"Guess we'll see." She added.

I narrowed my eyes at her and decided that her sweater needed to go next. Seriously! She'd already gotten me to take my shirt off! It was a good thing I'd chosen to wear a good bra today. " _Amin mela lle._ "

"What?" Elsa tilted her head in confusion. "I- care to repeat that?"

" _Amin mela lle._ " I waited patiently for her answer and enjoyed myself with watching her turn the phrase over and over in her mind.

" _Inuit?_ " There was an adorable crease in her brow that I wanted to kiss away.

"Not even close." I shook my head with another snicker. "Your clue is: it's from a book that got turned into a movie. Several movies, actually."

"How does that even count?" She nearly glared at me.

"My game, my rules." I crossed my arms triumphantly.

"You don't even have a name for this game. " She muttered cutely, making me want to scratch under her chin like a kitty. Even if I was _her_ kitty and what was I even thinking? "Is it _Dothraki?_ "

"That is _super_ sexy!" I groaned, kicking myself for not learning that one. Was there one? Actually, I just wanted to sit there and have her say, whisper, gasp, _anything,_ the word: _Dothraki._ I didn't know why, but it just sounded so erotic coming out of her mouth at the moment. "Sadly, no, Snow Paw." I huffed. "It's _Elvish_."

"That's not even a language!" She frowned at me, making me grin at her.

"According to _J.R.R. Tolkien_ it is." I motioned for her to sit up and when she did, I diligently pulled the sweater she'd been wearing off and tossed it away, inwardly cackling when I heard her muttering that she should have paid a little more attention when I made her watch the movies. I'd managed to mess up her hair in the process and as much as I just wanted to leave it, I moved the out of place strands back into their proper places. "There. All pretty again." When she only kissed my cheek, I returned it lovingly.

 _I could turn it up right?_

Kissing her forehead, nose, and then her lips, I let myself get caught up in the way she tasted. It didn't matter that she'd had funky tasting chocolate, because all that hit my tongue was her and _her_ alone. The kiss was searing and I didn't stop myself from burying my fingers back into her glorious hair, groaning in delight when I felt her arms encircle me, pulling me closer so she could deepen it. Smack me running, it was madness!

After a few more toe-curling moments, I pulled back to partially gasp into her mouth. " _Jet'aime, ma chérie._ " Apparently, the language was a favorite because Elsa grabbed my jacket and tugged me back in for another fiery, deep kiss.

" _French._ " She managed on an excited exhale between us. My response was a short groan that ended with a whine when she abruptly leaned away to take my other sock off. _Of all the dirty, rotten-!_ I let it slide. Only because she was giving me this brilliant smile that had me instantly thinking of another cheesy song. One I wouldn't sing yet.

" _Brava._ " I grinned dumbly, knowing it took all she had to _not_ take my pants off next. I wasn't sure how long we'd last at this point. " _Mahal kita."_

Elsa thought about it again, muttering about the first part of the phrase as possibly being from the famous _Taj Mahal_ Mausoleum. "Is it _Hindi?_ " She tried a bit timidly.

Could she get anymore adorable? I shook my head. "You clue- _you_ clue-" A short chuckle erupted from me. " _Your_ clue is that it's from a chain of islands." I corrected myself and then watched almost _no_ thought cross her mind. Face. Whatever.

" _Hawaiian?_ "

I turned my thumb down and mimicked a buzzer before giggling at myself. _Get a grip._ "You done forgot 'bout the _Phillinese-_ no. _Philippines!_ The language is _Tagalog._ "

"If you can't even remember how to say the places then how do I know you're telling the truth?" Elsa rose a curious brow, which I kissed.

"Because you love me." I lead my nose down her temple to her cheek where I nuzzled affectionately. "And I've been cementing some in my mind for months now." My hands traveled over her thighs and I boldly took the hem of her shirt and began pulling it up. "As much as I like this shirt on you-" The fabric passed over her stomach to her ribs.

"W-wait." Elsa reached down to stop my hands and I pulled back to see what the problem was. Another blush was evident on her face, but for the life of me I couldn't understand what the hesitance was for. I mean, I'd seen her without a shirt before unless... _wait, wait..._

"Are you not wearing a bra?" I asked without much thought, causing both of us to blush just a bit more fiercely than before.

"N-no." She stammered, making my eyes widen into saucers.

" _No?"_ I repeated, not stopping my eyes from falling to her chest.

Elsa's eyes followed mine and she spluttered once again. "I-I-I mean, _no!_ That's not what- of course I'm wearing a bra!"

"There's no shame in not wearing one." I tried to console her, missing the horror that shot through her eyes. "I mean, _I_ sometimes don't. But that's only when I'm home-"

"It- that- just take the shirt off." Elsa stopped trying and even lifted her arms up so I could. I didn't get it.

"If it makes you uncomfortable-" my words got caught somewhere between my brain and mouth when she ended up pulling the shirt off herself. _Damn_ , she'd done it oh-so sexily. My eyes instantly fell to the bra she was wearing. One side was black and the other was red with the black side having four red diamonds on it. There was a delicate little white bow in the middle and white frills on the tops of the cups. Even the straps were black and red, but reversed so that black was with red and red with black. "Is that-"

" _St-stai zitta._ " Elsa's hands came up to hide her magnificent bra from me and I didn't hesitate to take her wrists in my hands so I could pull them apart again.

" _Harley Quinn._ " I breathed shakily before looking at her embarrassed face. "You have a _Harley Quinn_ bra, Elsa." I couldn't believe it.

"So?" She tried to look away again, only to get stopped by my thumb and forefinger catching her chin.

"Is it a matching pair?" My words slipped right out of my mouth like I didn't have any sort of filter.

"Wh-" Blue eyes widened and then I _heard_ her swallow, unintentionally answering that for me. She didn't have to say anymore.

"You are positively _torturing_ me, Snow Paw." I groaned, leaning forward until our foreheads met. Man alive, I wanted nothing more than to see for myself. I wasn't sure why, but something about her wearing _anything_ nerdy like that was a total turn on and I wasn't exactly sure I'd had a definite _turn on_ for her until right then. I didn't even want to continue the game now.

"I can say the same." Elsa's eyes opened and slid from mine to my own chest, but veered off to the side when her hands found the sides of my jacket. "Give me another one." She tugged insistently and I all but swallowed my tongue.

" _Ya tebya liubliu._ " I whispered, not caring if my pronunciation was a little lazy because of all the sugar and alcohol swimming in my system. It was like my body was confused on whether to be happy about the sugar, or woozy because of the booze. _Hm...ooze booze._

While I inwardly chuckled at the words, Elsa was busy trying to think of where the phrase was from and eventually settled with, " _Romanian?_ "

I grinned. "Your clue is: it's where Natasha Romanov is from."

"Who's that?" Elsa furrowed her brow at me before pinching my cheek, letting me know that my clue didn't help at all. "I don't know, _Russian._ " She settled for. My giddy smirk dropped instantly.

"Crap. You actually got it." I ended up chuckling a bit nervously and felt my face heat because of the scarce choices of clothes left on me. _She's better at this than I thought._ Maybe she'd play nice and let me take my jacket off?

"Stand up." Elsa couldn't stop the pleased smile from capturing her lips. _Nope. No mercy then._ As I nearly stumbled to my feet, I was certain she was going to take my pants off, but she surprised me by smoothly sliding her fingers up my sides under the jacket. An involuntary shiver wracked my body as those hands spread out to my shoulders and sensually -as she could in this fuzzy state- shed it from me with a soft _thump_ to the floor just after. At her avid gaze to my bare skin, I felt goosebumps erupt all along my chest and arms. _Maybe it's not as hot as I thought._ I stiffened further when she boldly traced her finger across my collarbone to my necklace and _barely_ managed to keep the groan from leaving my mouth. _Holy crap!_

Instead of pushing it, she brought her eyes back to mine and then leaned in to whisper against my ear. "I could use some water." Nipping at the lobe and leaving me a near puddle on the floor as she brushed by me.

 _Slap me with a spoon._ Gulping down much needed air, I then turned to see her standing by the computer in all her _Harley Quinn_ bra glory. Half naked. _Twice, daily._ She indeed was drinking a bottle of water and after steeling my nerves a bit more, I sauntered over to her and trapped her there by placing my hands on either side of her body on the desk. _"Jag alskar dig."_ I made sure to keep my eyes on hers, loving the way she seemed to be at a loss of words at having turned to find me right there.

" _Norwegian?_ " She somehow managed.

"Close." I smirked and then leaned in to press a trail of kisses from her cheek to her neck. " _Very_ close to Norway."

" _Danish-_ wait, what? No, I meant-" Elsa stammered when I purposefully sucked on the sweet spot she had at the base of her delightful neck. _Yes!_

"Ah, ah, ah." Pulling back, I brought my hand up to stop her. "The correct answer is _Swedish._ " When she let out an incredulous breath, I leaned down to pull a sock from her foot. Honestly, I'd never seen her feet before and I wasn't disappointed in the least. They were painted blue! _So cuuute!_ I didn't have much more time to think about it as she took my face and tugged me back to her so she could kiss me. While my mouth was occupied at first, I slid my fingers across the waistband of her jeans and then up, making her squirm a bit as I traced the letter ' _I_ ' and a heart on the expanse of her taut stomach.

"That tickles." She murmured.

"Tell me to stop and I will." I husked into her mouth.

"Don't stop." Was her reply when she brought her hands up tangle them in my hair. _Oomph._ A low growl rumbled from my throat and I completed the ' _U'_ to conclude the abbreviated confession.

"An equivalent to that is: _Ayo anosh'ni._ " Pulling back, I let her ponder that and reached for the water she'd been drinking. By now, the sugar and alcohol had reached it's peak and I wanted nothing more than to float away in the strange sensation.

A short groan left her. "Can I just have the hint?"

I got the feeling that the game could end right then and she'd be okay with it. "It's from a tribe that's most prevalent in _Arizona._ " Another shiver coursed through my body when I felt her hands trace up my sides again.

"I don't know." Blue eyes were turning into that attractive Indigo color, making the heat in my body increase substantially.

" _Navajo._ " I knew I had one more sock to remove from her, but my hands moved on their own and shakily reached for the button of her jeans. With my heart shooting to my throat, I slowly lowered myself until I was kneeling in front of her silky smooth stomach. Without much thought, I pressed a kiss to the precious little mole on the side of her belly button and then hooked my thumbs into the waistband. There was a strained silence as I gently slid the material down slightly muscled thighs and while my throat dried up, I brought my softly trembling hands back to feel and savor as much of the alabaster flesh as I could.

 _Mercy,_ she did have matching panties!

"T-that's not fair." Elsa's voice was thick with a slew of emotions and when I tore my eyes away from her black and red lacy panties to look up at her, I could have passed out. "I still had another sock." She tried because any sort of words of question died in my parched throat. Holding on to her waist, I leaned in to press my cheek against her stomach.

"Couldn't help it." I murmured hoarsely. As much as I just wanted to tackle her to the floor and flourish her entire sexy body in sweet, worshiping kisses, I stood back up to my full height so I could whisper, " _Aishiteru._ "

" _Japanese._ " Elsa stepped out of her jeans, taking off her other sock, and then switched us so that I was now leaning against the desk. It was a good thing too because she wasted no time in connecting our lips and pressing herself into me, making my knees fell like jelly. I arched into the touch of her hands on my hips and once she started on the button to my jeans, my hands darted to her hair so I had something to hold on to. Her hair was so soft it was criminal.

We broke for air shortly after, but she continued to lead her scorching full lips across my jaw. One insistent open-mouthed kiss after another, making me squeeze my eyes shut at everything I was feeling and I was too weak to not loll my head to the side to give her more access to my neck. _Fudge!_ A soft noise erupted from one of us as she skimmed down my to my collarbone, only to step away and leaving me to open my eyes in confusion, but that was sated when I felt her hot hands against the backs of my exposed thighs. Not a second later, I was surprised to find myself sitting on the cool desk with the love of my life bracketed between my legs after I kicked off my own jeans.

Seemingly forgetting about the game altogether, she moved back to my neck and I barely stifled a moan of approval as she nipped and sucked her way agonizingly slowly down my neck to my collarbone again. Somewhere behind me, I heard a some sort of clatter as if something fell, but neither of us could have been bothered to care right then. Especially when Elsa's wicked tongue pressed against a particularly sensitive spot on the side of my neck, my mouth dropped a bit and a whimper escaped. I had the amazing sensation of _feeling_ more than hearing her responding moan to it. Goodness, I was shaken to my core and I tightened my legs around her to bring her even closer.

Around an instinctive roll from my body, I managed to tear Elsa's lips from my neck so I could take her mouth again. That time, the kiss was substantially hotter, sloppier and I couldn't tell which of us uttered another moan. I just knew that when our tongues touched, my hips gave an involuntary jerk and she responded by tugging my hips closer to the edge of the desk while my hands slid through her hair. Said hands twitched just as I felt her slightly bite into my lower lip and I didn't hesitate to return the favor by licking into her her mouth as soon as an opportunity presented itself.

" _Ahh- Anna._ " Elsa groaned on a rush of breath against me and I didn't miss the adoration in her husky voice.

"You're beautiful." I managed, locking my ankles behind her back to keep her there while my mouth trailed down her neck. Letting my hands slip from her hair, I delighted to see the thick platinum blonde waves spill over my hands and down her delectable shoulders. My hands followed and stopped just short of the clasp of her bra, but as I inched closer, I shivered when I felt Elsa's own hands glide up from my hips to my own clasp. Nothing but excitement shot through me as we both took the clasps in silent agreement and I instantly brought my lips back to hers for another kiss.

There was one soft _snap_ after another and I suddenly found myself holding my breath as her hands came up to my shoulders, carefully nudging at the straps. I followed her lead and gently lead my hands along her shoulders, taking the red and black straps with me. My heart was beating impossibly fast as I felt my own bra slipping from my shoulders, but before either of us could do anything more, we both heard the impeding sound of the elevator doors opening.

" _YOO-HOO!_ Anybody home?!" Letti's blasted voice had Elsa stumbling away from me as fast as lightening.

" _Shit!_ " We exclaimed in horror together.

* * *

 _A/N: *Dr. Horrible evil laughter.* I know, I know. Those chocolates are gross...Kidding. Darn it, Letti!_  
 _Anyway, I hope you...enjoyed it? Because I actually wanted to put this game in here somewhere and thought it would be nice for them to indulge a little. (Thank the Guest that said they wouldn't mind seeing Elsa in a bathing suit. It's not a bathing suit, but how'd I do? No, wait. Don't answer that.) Thanks for reading, though! You're all great!_

 _Tootles~_


	43. Cheater

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

After smoothing my shirt over for the thousandth time and triple checking my hair, I turned to shakily make my way down the stairs to join in on the dinner that Letti had brought back. _Breathe. It's okay._ My mind tried miserably to calm me down as I sluggishly crossed the parquet floor after coming off that last stair. _She just almost walked in on you violating her daughter. No big deal._ Grabbing the chair of my intention, I practically fell into it with embarrassment licking just under my skin. _Crap!_

"So, how was tennis?" Letti asked, putting down a bowl of fruit and basically not noticing the awkward air that followed my descent that was currently trying to suffocate me.

"T-tennis?" I blurted, hoping to all that was holy that there wasn't a hint of alcohol on my breath or any indication of what we'd just been doing on my face. One could only hope.

"Yes, tennis." Letti handed me a soda that was cracked open faster than a child opening her Christmas present. _Calm down, Crescent._ "Elsa said you two just got back from the park? Something about hanging out with your friends?" She spoke with enough nonchalance to feign interest, but I _knew_ she was paying attention to whatever came out of my mouth.

"They're her friends too." I cleared my throat when cold soda bubbles clustered down my esophagus. "But yeah. It was fun." The smile I sent might have been that of indigestion, but she didn't question.

"Were you really at the park?" Sapphic eyes narrowed suspiciously, making me gulp thickly all over again. _C'mon, Anna. Think!_

"Of course." I nodded to emphasize my answer. "We stopped there after going to the library because Olaf and Kida wanted to spend their time studying rather than have fun." Another drink of fizz. "Kristoff, Sen, Elsa and I had a sort of couples' stand off."

"Where's your equipment then?" Letti didn't seem too convinced. "I don't remember my daughter having an affinity for tennis."

 _Right. She played lacrosse._ "I managed to talk her into it." I held my ground. "And tennis is more Sen's thing, so she has the balls- I mean the tennis stuff!" _If your mom knew you didn't like tennis, WHY did you tell her that, sweetheart?!_ My eyes flickered up to where Elsa was now coming down with her hair wrapped in a towel, having pretended to be going to shower when Lettie called out while _I_ splayed on the floor to try to dress as quickly as I could. She was also oblivious as to what was already said. I could only hope that Letti didn't ask her the same questions because I was certain Elsa was better at cover stories than I was and it would have been _me_ that messed it all up. _Oh man._

A few words were exchanged in Italian between the two while I jammed half a pizza in my mouth, ignoring that it was still on the mildly hot side. All I got out of that conversation was, 'yours,' 'adorable,' and 'no.' When Letti looked at me skeptically and then whispered to Elsa in Italian, which the love of my life chuckled cutely at, I made it a definite point to learn that damn language. Secretly. For just such instances.

"Talking trash about me?" I asked as casually as I could, making them break apart.

"You don't look like a tennis player." Letti concluded once Elsa sat next to me with a discrete reassuring squeeze to my knee.

"And just _how_ is a tennis player supposed to look?" It was my turn to narrow my eyes at her, even as I remembered my blue-eyed sweetheart saying something similar the first time we met. Beside me, said girl had removed the towel and angled it around her neck to catch the droplets that immediately began dripping as her gorgeous hair flopped back down. That was a good thing because the cover up she'd had on her neck began to rub off, hinting at a mark I'd left there. "Remember, I can do a good amount of things." I added with a small grin on my lips. _Li_ _ke make your daughter strip with me. GAH!_

They both looked questionably at me when either a piece of pizza or a sip of soda (I couldn't tell) went down the wrong tube and I nearly coughed up a lung. _Stupid brain!_ Clearing my throat again, I tried to be inconspicuous about it, even though she more than likely knew what we were up to by now. _It could have been worse. She could have come in when-_

"We'll have to get together for a match sometime." Letti relented, but that did nothing for the glob of pizza now inching down my throat and I refused to say anything until it was safely in my belly.

"I could do that." I met her eyes head on for the first time since I came down. "I'll bring my dad and we'll make it a battle royal between the Crescents and the Marianis." My tone went deadly determined, making Elsa shift a bit.

"I don't think-" She tried.

"It'll be glorious." I kept my eyes locked on Letti's, watching as heavy amusement filtered through them.

"You haven't seen my trophies have you?" Came her low voice that caused an internal hiccup within my very being. _Wait, what?_ "Prepare to eat your words, Miss Crescent." She smirked cockily.

"Trophies?" I returned her smirk as easily as I could. If she wanted to play hardball... "How long ago was that?" Another casual sip of my soda had her nearly choking on her own drink.

"Anna!" Elsa's foot touched mine and when I looked at her, she tried to tell me to cut it out but then shook her head with a smile budding on her lips. Letti saw that and exchanged a few more words in Italian with her daughter until she snorted in laughter.

" _Ben fatto._ Starfire, you'd better keep this one." She reached over to playfully tug at my pigtail. On the other hand, Elsa hissed in embarrassment at her and I tried to make sure the food made it down my throat that time.

Elsa and I may not have gotten caught with 'our pants down' so to say, _but_ that dinner had to be one of the most awkward ones in it's own way!

* * *

Two Days Later.

"So what we have on our hands is a lady manhunt." Kida adjusted her _Maui Jim_ sunglasses, keeping me in suspense outwardly, but inwardly, I was wondering why I chose to have _her_ help me try to find Esmeralda.

Mental list: Kristoff was with Sen and Olaf was out canvasing with his mom, Elsa (was out of the question) but she'd stayed home because of a visitor she'd told me was supposed to make an appearance today. So, yeah. That left Kida and because I was _such_ a good friend, I wanted to include her something so she wasn't left out. Luckily she was being a good sport about it.

Ever since the day the black-haired beauty tried to kiss me, I'd been trying to find, or catch her so we could talk. We needed to. I just couldn't let her go on without disclosing a few things between us. For one: I wanted to know if she really did like me from the beginning, or if it had just happened somewhere along the way. Secondly: I wanted her to know that I didn't see her any differently and that, okay, _maybe_ she'd had some sort of effect on me from time to time, but all the same. We needed to talk about the feelings both of us had felt. And I wanted her to really think about what she was doing because of Phoebus. It wasn't fair of her to feel _obligated_ to marry him when there was no real feelings from her. What kind of life would that be?

"We need a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, greenhouse, farmhouse, hen house, outhouse, doghouse." Kida went on, striding a couple of steps away from me. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to be right in the middle of the park where people could easily hear what we were talking about.

 _Wait, what are we talking about?_

"What are you even- Ain't nobody got time for that." I frowned at her. _Seriously._

"Okay, then just talk to her parents." Kida spun back around in such bravado that she ended up splashing some syrup from her recently purchased Popsicle at me.

My nose scrunched up and I cringed from the uncomfortably cool stickiness that slapped across my face. "Okay. I'll do that." I nodded while wiping my face and when she brightened, I reached up to push her stupid Popsicle back into her face, making her yelp in surprise. "Emmie's parents aren't here anymore." I pointed out slowly. "Unless their graves might give some sort of clue as to where she is."

"Dang, chill out." Kida licked her lips and then swiped her thumb across her cheek, only to suck more syrup off of it. "Why not ask around _Djali's_? They ought to know where she is. Lives too, probably."

As much as I didn't want to, I had to agree with the suggestion. No matter how much it irked me that _I_ hadn't thought of it in the first place. "Then let's go."

"Don't you want yours? It's cherry- hey!" Kida trailed after me, holding two Popsicles in her hands. I didn't even notice she'd gotten me one and had been flailing it around in my face for the better part of ten minutes. _Whoops._ Luckily, I _ate_ ice cream like I ate candy, so it was gone by the time we got back to my bike. Much to Kida's surprise.

She had to wear _my_ helmet since she'd made a big deal about Elsa getting jealous that someone else was using hers. I knew she was only teasing, but that didn't stop me from taking sharp turns and stopping a little too insistently, making her shove me when she dismounted at our destination.

"You suck, Crescent!" She growled and I had to chuckle at her. Parking my baby on the other side of the building, I made sure it was alright to leave it there before we started walking.

"Well, we'll just take your car next time." I started to grin, but then gasped in exaggeration. "That's right! We can't because _someone_ got busted sneaking back in after staying out half the night." It had been quite the tale that ended with Kida saying she now had a secret chest of diamonds hidden away, when in actuality, she'd been grounded for the rest of the week.

"So what?" She bumped my shoulder. "Olaf needed my help when he missed that last bus the other night."

 _And he couldn't have called Marshall? Or me?_ I wouldn't even question all the time it spent to get from point A to point B with them when Olaf didn't live but ten minutes away from the library."You two are pretty chummy." I stated calmly as we took our time sauntering up to the corner diner. "I only hope he doesn't make a cheater out of you." When she spluttered, I continued. "I know he's perfectly lovable and-"

"Shut up!" Kida slapped my shoulder a little more forcibly than I was prepared for, making me do just that and stop walking because she did too. I only had to take one look at her face before stepping back to place my hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Hey, what-"

"I don't want to talk about it." She partly snapped, pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head to keep that signature white hair out of her clear blue eyes. Lightly rimmed in red. _What?_ She even nudged my hand away in the process. "Let's just find your girl first and then I'll tell you." She sure looked like someone had stolen something valuable from her and I wanted to know what happened. But.

I stiffened at her choice of words. "Esmeralda is not my girl."

"Could have fooled me." Kida chuffed and all but glared at me before starting to walk again.

" _Whoa!_ " That time I reached out to grab her arm to make her stop, showing her my genuinely shocked face. "Where the heck is this coming from, Kida? What happened?" It really wasn't like her to act the way she was acting. _Was it something I said?_

"Nothing. I- that is-" Kida brushed my hand away again and wrapped her arms around her stomach self-consciously. Having never seen her like that before had me inwardly scratching my head in confusion until there was a heavy sigh of exasperation directed at me. "Why are you looking for her when she _clearly_ has a thing for you? Elsa can't have approved of this little venture."

"Don't change the topic, Kida." I made sure to keep her eyes with mine.

"Milo..." She swallowed thickly and then looked away, muttering something I didn't quite catch.

"Beg your pardon?" I tried, not prepared for her hands to shoot up in clear frustration. If she were a total stranger, I definitely would have ran away from her right then.

"Milo cheated on me!" She yelped like a kicked puppy and sadly looked the same way. In that instant, I felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on me as her strong, pretty face cracked, an egg against an iron skillet.

"W-why?" I felt stupid for asking, but I wasn't sure what else to say. "He's such a nice guy, he wouldn't-"

"This situation between you, Esmeralda and Elsa?" Kida sniffled sadly, turning away from the people looking curiously at us as they passed. "This is the exact same thing that happened between us!"

Instead of trying to say something else that probably wouldn't have helped any, I gently took her hand and lead her the rest of the way into the diner to get away from prying eyes. I also knew Emmie wouldn't be in there so we'd have some form of privacy for the time being. When we sat at one of the corner booths, we placed our drink orders with an appetizer and once I turned back to her, she was picking at the sugar packets. That scolded puppy-look from earlier was still there, which had me reaching over to place a steady hand on her wrist. Anything to try to comfort her.

"You can't do this to Elsa." Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"Do what?" I asked. "Cheat on her?" My grip tightened in assurance before letting go. "That won't happen."

Kida sighed heavily. "Her name was- _is_ Stella and I didn't think she was a threat either." She was focused on putting all the pinks, whites, yellows and blues together, straightening out the wrinkles and then placing them back in the little white container they'd been haphazardly jammed in. By my count, there were five of each, save for the two pink packets. _Guess people like Sweet & Low better._ "I thought he was the one, Anna." That dejected voice made chills creep up my spine, but I had to push through it.

"What happened?" I stopped her from trying to smash the last three packets in that just wouldn't fit.

"It was innocent banter, so I thought." She gave up and then resorted to crossing her arms and grasping her elbows instead, placing her chin on her top forearm. "Started when I went to visit him at the beginning of the year. We were all familiar with each other by then because they went to school together. She's pretty too. Has shortly cut dirty-blonde hair with big pale blue eyes and a wicked Australian accent." A breathless chuckle escaped her. "Long story short, she seduced my Milo and basically stole him from me."

"Kida-"

"I'm not- I mean, Olaf-" Hurt blue eyes met mine in a flash. "H-he's not my rebound or anything, I- he just-"

"He's there." I finished, reaching over to grasp her forearms that time.

It was my understanding that Olaf had sort of been there for her from the start. While I was busy with Elsa, he and Kristoff had really been the ones to include her in everything we did and I just fell in with it because she grew on me. Sure, Olaf started out crushing on her, but he didn't let that get in the way of being her friend and even tried to be with someone else when the opportunity presented itself. Their relationship was, for lack of a better synopsis: like one from the movies where _they_ were meant to be all along. Odd, but not too surprising and what was I even thinking? _It's not like she confirmed anything yet!_ I had to stop jumping to conclusions.

Thankfully, our drinks and artichoke dip arrived in the next instant and when the guy disappeared, I gave Kida a small comforting smile to let her know I didn't think any less of her. More silence filled the air as we dug into the appetizer.

"After spending more time with him, I really don't know why Felicity didn't put up much of a fight to keep that goof." Kida spoke first. My chip broke then and she snickered me while I tried to fish the poor thing out of the cheese before it drowned.

"Eh." I shrugged, sucking the warm goodness from my fingers after dropping the rescued chip into my mouth. "Her loss." Taking a short sip after, I fixed my friend with a deadly glare. "But if you hurt him in any way, shape or form, I'm so coming after you with razor blades and lemon juice, Nedakh."

A beat. " _Please!_ " She waved my threat away like a pesky fly. "He's such a sweetheart! I wouldn't do that, but _you_ can bet that I'll be there to kick your butt if you hurt Elsa too."

"There you go again." I frowned at her. "Is it a sure thing that I'm going to cheat on her with Emmie?"

"Have you _seen_ the way the woman looks at you?" Skeptical blue eyes found mine again and when I only raised a questionable brow at her, she snorted. "Of course you haven't."

"That- I mean, of course I have!" I defended. "So you think that just because she looks at me like I'm dinner means I'm going to give into her?" My ears heated a bit at that, but as Kida's jaw fell slack, I felt the blush continuing to my cheeks. _Where did that come from?_

"So you're aware of this and yet you _still_ want to find her?" She contemplated out loud while swirling her straw around a cup with heavy perspiration on it. The day had progressed from pleasantly cool to almost unbearably _hot_ in no time at all, signaling that summer was right around the corner.

"She's my friend, Kida." I took a drink of my refilled sweet tea, nose twitching at the very bland taste of it. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to abandon a friend because she's confused." I used one of the two pink packets left and placed one of the other sugars in the vacant spot so there was only two more without a space.

"What if she goes for another kiss?"

Good question. "I'm in love with Elsa Mariani." I stated loud enough for a few people to hear and when they glanced our way, I easily ignored them. "What good would we be if we didn't trust each other?"

" _I_ trusted Milo and look what happened." Kida crossed her arms again, straightening her spine petulantly.

"Did _he_ trust _you?_ " I asked, not backing down. "You know he knew you were already good friends with Olaf when he came for the Formal."

"Screw you, Anna." Kida's lip curled. "Suppose Elsa gets all chummy with Jeremy, what would you do then? Can't you see that it's messing with your girl too?"

 _She HAD to bring him up._

My jaw clenched, but I tried to see where she was coming from. Thing is, Elsa and I already talked about it. Of course there was still the discomfort there in those gorgeous forget-me-nots that I tried easing with the game. But was that enough? I _had_ meant it when I said I trusted Elsa. It was _him_ I didn't trust and I wouldn't hesitate to think that Elsa felt the same way about Esmeralda. But I _had_ to put an end to whatever it was between us!

"It has to stop." I found the leftover dip fascinating and since it seemed like a packed day in the diner, I decided against an actual meal since the waiter had yet to come back to take the rest of our order. "Esmeralda is engaged, so should something happen, it'll hurt _four_ of us."

"Dammit, Anna." Kida huffed, flicking a chip at my face. "Why are you so likable?"

"I don't know." I scoffed as familiar faces flashed through my mind. "I have no idea, but I _know_ who my heart belongs to. _Any one_ of them could have made their move before Elsa caught my eye and I would _still_ have gone after our student council president." The ice in my glass _clinked_ in the determined silence _._ "Oh, and Jeremy can suck it."

"You're disgusting." Kida chuckled.

"Thank you." I blew a kiss at her before waving another waiter down. Hopefully _he_ knew where I could find a tall frazzled woman with eyes greener than fresh leaves budding on a tree.

* * *

Later.

"Remember, you can _not_ trust her." Kida grabbed my helmet by the jaw and forced me to look at her, popping my neck in the process. "She makes a move and you run. Make like _The Exorcist_ , jump on this sexy bike of yours and get the hell out of there, hear me?"

It took all I had to _not_ bust out in laughter at that. "Yes, _mom_." I snarked instead, shaking her grip from my helmet. When she let go, I ended up taking it off so I could give her a meaningful smile. "I am sorry about Milo."

Kida let out another sigh and brushed her uneven bangs out of her eyes. "Well, he was-"

"A nerd." I snickered, making her click her mouth shut. Surprise flitted across her face.

"And Olaf isn't?" She fixed her stance, but I was the one on the purring bike.

"Olaf makes you laugh." I smirked. "I don't remember you laughing that much when Milo was here." Starstruck sure, but he didn't make her laugh as much. And my thought only solidified when she didn't respond right away. I playfully pushed my fist into her stomach. "Face it. You get to act your own age around Ramsey (because he's _actually_ in high school) and you don't have to work very hard to impress him." _You're beautiful enough for him._

"Okay, okay, settle down. It's not like I'm not looking for engagement rings or anything." Kida released a semi-embarrassed chuckle. I caught that flush of her tan cheeks though.

"That's because it's _his_ job." I winked.

"Oh, you little-" Eyes instantly blazing, she made to reach for me, but I'd already let the brake go and was speeding off before she could think to do anything. I swear I'd never seen her so flustered before!

By the time I got to the apartments on the south side, I was still grinning. It didn't matter that I had to pull over about two blocks away from Kida's house to put my helmet back on because it was worth it. Her reaction was too priceless to pass up.

On the other hand, all the crap with Milo wasn't that shocking honestly. I couldn't explain it, but there was just something off about the guy. When he was there for the Formal, I thought he was completely sweet. I mean, traveling halfway around the world to take his girl to the dance? _Romantic!_ But what got me thinking twice about him was the way the night ended. It was like he could _not_ wait to get out of there as soon as Kida's dare was over. He'd been a trooper because he'd been in college and all, so I gave him some slack.

And then Kida told us a little more about him.

Turns out the two were supposed to be married too. An arranged marriage. We were all completely _shocked_ of course and when asked _why_ , Kida mumbled something about ' the good of her tribe' or something along those lines. However, nothing more was said about it after that, so we stopped asking and secretly hoped she'd come around to telling us some day. After all this time, the girl was _still_ a mystery whichever way I looked at it. She was a mystery and I could hardly blame her for taking comfort in someone like Olaf. He deserved someone who wasn't afraid to be with him no matter what and I only hoped she wasn't using him. Because I _really_ didn't want to do something about it should she do just that. And I would, no doubt.

"Are you going to stand out there all afternoon like a creep, or what?"

Her velvety voice cut through my thoughts like a knife to butter and when my eyes focused, I was looking right into emerald green pools. _How long have I been standing here?_

"H-hey, Em." I managed to choke out.

* * *

An unexpected ball of fur landing in my lap had me squealing in more fear than surprise and I wasted absolutely _no_ time in jumping off the couch like a bolt of lightening. I'd just smashed myself into the nearest corner I could find when Esmeralda showed back up with two cups of liquid, a look of whole amusement on her face. "Why are you _in_ my bookcase?" She inquired after flitting her eyes around for possible threats and setting the drinks on the coffee table.

"You- that-" I shakily pointed at the cursed black feline now stretching out in the same place I'd been sitting three seconds ago. "Cat. Y-you have a cat."

"His name's Bane." She patted his little head, exchanging a 'meow' for it and I could hear the distinct purr even from where I was still squished. "How...how exactly did you get in there, Anna?" Green eyes turned back to me in question.

"In where-" Currently on the third shelf of her built-in shelves. Next to a textbook on _Jazz._ "Oh, I'm a part-time contortionist- I'm allergic to cats!" I ignored the small space I'd found myself in and tried to plead with her to get him out since my eyes were already starting to itch.

"So you're a part-time contortionist who's allergic to cats?"

"Emmie!"

"Alright, let's move this to the balcony." Esmeralda motioned for me to follow her with cups back in her hands. I didn't move though. Her little pale green-eyed, shiny black beast was still there looking at me. Watching- _judging_ me. Or, whatever it was that cats did with that condescending stare of theirs. Seriously, he was lying on his side with his tail nonchalantly waving around in the air, _staring_ at me. "You're such a baby, here," Esmeralda came back from outside, scooped the foul creature of the night up and disappeared into a different room.

Only when she came back with empty hands did I begin to extract myself and step down from my safe spot. Well as safe a spot I could find without running out of her apartment, because I knew very well that a simple cat could have easily found itself right next to me anywhere there. Books fell out after me and I didn't hesitate to spin back around to pick them up, setting them back on the shelf as best I could before the sneezes started. _Oh man. Why does she have a cat? A black cat nonetheless?!_ I swear the little beast had it out for me already, seeing as he scared me right off the couch. Like I'd been sitting in _his_ spot and he was telling me with his eyes to keep my distance. _You shall not pass!_ (Okay, it wasn't _that_ bad.) But, still.

"Guess I could have told you." I muttered, wiping my nose on a tissue she'd given me.

"You didn't know I had a cat." Emmie smirked and again gestured for me to follow her once I put the last book back. "You'll have to explain how you fit into my bookshelf, by the way."

"Well, you know. Desperate times." I got half a chuckle in before two more sneezes found their way out of me. _Guh._

"I'm sorry about that, should we go somewhere else?" She about offered me a chair, but stopped short when I wiped my nose again. My eyes wanted to be scratched _so_ bad, but I refused to give in. The last thing I needed was to be puffy-eyed, so I settled for irritated eye.

"Nah, I just need fresh air." I sniffled and leaned over the balcony as far as I could to catch the slight breeze.

"Easy." A hand touched my shoulder cautiously. "I'm not too sure how sturdy the rails are." Her voice was a little distant and her grip wasn't as comforting as it could have been had I actually attempted to test the limits.

She also didn't look too well.

"It's fine." I deliberately wiggled the bar, causing her to pull me back suddenly.

"You realize we're on the _fourth_ floor?" When I was a safe distance away from the ledge, she patted my shoulder. "Crazy girl."

"I prefer daredevil." I crossed my arms and opted to lean against the wall that separated her balcony from her neighbor's.

"You're not blind." She deadpanned, making me snort.

"Not- I'm no vigilante seeking Justice." I waved her away. "Besides, the police would be more interested in finding _me_ than bringing down the people I'd be trying to stop."

"What?" There was a lot of confusion in that little word.

"Never mind." I pushed off from the wall to take the empty seat beside her while sniffling again. _Sheesh._ I didn't even remember the last time I was within touching distance of a cat and I hoped it would be awhile before I saw another one again. Granted, I probably would have to charge out of there when we were finished, so _Bane_ didn't chase me out himself.

"So, what brings you here?" Esmeralda asked from the lip of her cup. In that chair of hers, with her knees up to her chin and leaned back, she looked so comfortable that I had to wonder how one managed that look. Her thick onyx waves were piled on top of her head in a messy bun where loose strands fell around her carefully structured face, she was wearing these little black shorts that showed off a good amount of tan legs, barefoot, with a too big purple shirt that partially hung off her left shoulder. Still pretty, but obviously at odds with herself. If the bags under her eyes were any indication.

"I..." I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Is that it?" She set her cup down, engagement ring where it usually was. "If so, then, _yes_ I'm fine."

"Are you really?" I asked, bringing my gaze from her slender hand to her guarded eyes. "The last I saw you-"

"I was getting crushed under all the weight Phoebus's proposal threw at me." Those eyes narrowed, making me shift in my seat. There was more she wanted to say, but I didn't want to read too much into it, lest I think something and be completely off mark.

"How's that going?" I decided to ask and then gestured to the living room we'd just vacated. "Didn't see much decorations in there."

"You really think I'd have it all spread out like an investigation scene?"

"Well, I don't know." I shrugged, trying to tread carefully. But was that tone necessary? "The only things _I_ know about wedding planning include movies. Usually there's a disapproving mom, or fights with the bridesmaids, trips all over town to price things, finding a church or something, cake tasting, and yeah. Maybe it is all spread out like you're an investigator trying to track down a serial killer." My own eyes narrowed when she sat up straighter. "You tell me."

"You watch too many movies." She snickered, slumping back in her chair again.

"If it was up to me, I wouldn't be watching so many wedding movies." Crossing my legs Indian-style, I took my own drink and tried a sip. Pink lemonade. "Action movies are my forte."

" _White Collar?"_ Esmeralda flicked her eyes to me.

"Cancelled." I shrugged. "It was pretty good though."

"I just got all three seasons." Her eyebrows waggled as she gestured to the apartment. "Wanna watch some?"

"First off," I stopped her from getting up. "I said action _movies_ and secondly: I got a date tonight."

"Too good for a TV show? Shame on you, Crescent." She chuckled, making me roll my eyes.

"I'm just saying I can't be here all night." I clarified, not noticing that she'd risen from her seat.

"I wouldn't mind." She whispered.

And just like that, I felt her hand as it came up to tenderly cup my cheek and before I knew it, those nearly natural rosy lips of hers were pressed to my opposite cheek. Dangerously close to the corner of my mouth. A sharp breath was taken from me and in a flash, she angled her head to press her lips against mine. Fully. My eyes widened in obvious shock and when she pulled back a smidgen, I was introduced to the horrifying emotions swirling around in her too green eyes. They were heartbreaking and I was easily overwhelmed, but as she came back for another kiss, I screwed my eyes shut.

I wasn't sure why I didn't just push her off and run like Kida said to do. What my consciousness told me to do. Instead, I stayed there, clamped my teeth shut and clenched my hands so tightly together, I felt my nails digging into my palms. I was embraced with with something that my body, my _libido_ responded to. _Cripes,_ I didn't think I'd use that word like a guy and the fact that it felt accurate made my stomach churn. _Stop. Make her stop._ That unknown part of me secretly whispered that this was something that wouldn't happen again. It wanted me to believe it was something I couldn't replace and the tears that I tasted next were so bitter that it made Esmeralda break the kiss.

"I-I'm _so_ sorry, Anna." She crumbled into my lap and buried her face in my stomach. Her smooth voice sounded like a broken record, letting me hear her pain. My own tears welled up then at the ragged breaths she took and I absently petted her head.

I didn't want to see her face now, I didn't want her to see mine. I just...I cried too.

She didn't do anything else either. Didn't try kissing me again, didn't tighten her hold on me. Nothing.

For what seemed like forever, we stayed right there in silence. Her scent filled my nose. The one Elsa referred to as an 'old woman.' Truthfully, I wasn't sure what Esmeralda smelt like. Perhaps laundry? Partly like a library because of all the books she had and there was a particular tang of motor oil that mixed oddly with a lemony scent she'd probably gotten from her shampoo. It was confusing. _I_ was confused and I hated myself a little bit because of it.

I knew people liked me, but _none_ of them had ever tried to kiss me. Esmeralda was the only one bold enough to do that and I had to give her some credit, but at the same time, I had to kick myself a couple of times. I had _let_ her do it. _How could I let this happen?!_ I wanted to believe that I _needed_ it to happen to make sure I loved the person I said I loved. _Not that good a reason, but maybe slightly more justifiable._ Elsa had to know. I had to tell her that something like this wasn't going to happen again. I let my guard down and Esmeralda had taken advantage of it. What hurt me was that we _both_ let it happen. I could have stopped her from going for that second kiss, but I didn't and maybe in some twisted way, I let her do it because I wanted her to know that I wouldn't reciprocate.

I didn't kiss her back.

In the back of my mind, I figured it had to happen this way.

"I'm sorry." She said again. Calmer that time.

"How long have you felt like this?" I asked, voice just above a whisper.

"Since I told you to end it that time you were suspended for two weeks." Pulling back, she settled on the floor at my feet. We still couldn't look at each other. What she'd said, that was so long ago and it made my jaw flex uncomfortably. _She liked me before I reconciled with Elsa._ It wasn't a question because I knew it was true. "I didn't know what to do with myself. I mean, I was already used to joking around with you and the fact that we both had a passion for bikes...it was fun being around you." She sighed sharply. "I often wondered how it would be to _be_ with you." A hand raked through her hair. "Would you meet me after school at _Djali's_? Could we have gone to the Trails to ride my bike there? Would I meet you on the days you worked at Black Bear?"

"What about Phoebus?" I asked, ignoring the blows she'd been unknowingly delivering to my gut. After all of this, I would still have to leave her to her thoughts and that hurt too.

"I'm still going to marry him." Esmeralda answered after a long minute.

"I don't think that's smart." Leaning forward, I tried to shift my eyes to meet hers. "As wrapped up- that is- I just don't think you should rush into something else without first processing another."

"I'm a mess." Watery green snapped to mine. "It's okay to say that, Anna."

"You can't use him," _or me._ "As a crutch." I made sure not to touch her too much for fear I'd trigger something again.

"He proposed to me _before_ I met you." She informed with a little more power in her voice. "I love him."

"Do you?" I merely wanted her to be absolutely sure.

"Of course I do." She backed up a bit more. "Look, just because I said I had a thing for you and kissed you doesn't mean I'm willing to throw all that I've already been building up away."

 _Wait._ "I didn't say you needed to." My throat worked to get my saliva down. "I'm- think about Phoebus-"

"I _do_ think of him!" Esmeralda spat, tone steely. "Don't go thinking everything is about you."

"I _know_ it's not." I growled just as defiantly. "I distinctly said _your fiance's_ name and if we're being honest here, you shouldn't be turning this around on me." My warning made her glare at me, but I stood firm. "You've got to come to terms with your own selfishness."

" _My_ selfishness?!"

"Yes!" I threw my hands up, not even sure where this was coming from. "You were _just_ wondering what it was like to be with me and when I _finally_ make clear what we've both known from the beginning: that I. Can't. Be with you. And then you turn right back around and say that you love him." I gestured between us. " _This_ isn't going to happen and you're just too needy and greedy and desperate to be loved, to be noticed to see that!" We stood up at the same time and it didn't matter that she was taller than I. Our eyes clashed heatedly. "You're impatient among other things that would all just point you in the direction of being a straight-up Manipulator!"

"You're here. Am I doing a good job then?" She snorted and then jerked back when I slapped her. Hard. It was uncalled for, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Her jaw was red, head turned to the side with her jaw slack and my hand stung from infantile discharges residing in her pink cheek.

"It is _not_ fair that you're doing this to him." I took a step back. "You can't have it both ways, you know. You can't pull the right strings to trick the world into giving you everything you want. No means _no._ "

"So _I'm_ selfish!" Green eyes blazed. "What does that make you, oh wise one?!"

"I don't need to be anything!" I nearly shouted. "This isn't about me no matter how much you want it to be! You can't project everything on me when it's you-"

And she returned the slap. _Freyja!_ It felt like a thousand heated needles had spread out across my cheek. Like there was a fire just below my freckles and I could do nothing but stare at her in shock.

"Sure it is." She seethed. "It's all about you. You and your cute freckles, that damned red hair, your stupid charm-"

"Stop being a coward and accept that I _can't_ be with you!" I turned away from her. "I am seventeen years old. I am in a relationship with a girl named Elsa Mariani, get it through your head!"

"I think you should leave." Esmeralda turned on her heel and opened the screen door for me. "Leave before I _manipulate_ you to stay. Before I get selfish and try something with you, or turn cowardly and run away after I hurt poor, precious Anna. The girl in denial. The one who thinks she's got a right to tell me what to do!" Her teeth bared. "My very own messed up godmother! What makes you so high and mighty?!

"...you don't mean those things." I tried to keep the quiver from my voice. There was a part of me that absorbed all the words and their entirety so I could analyze them later because they sounded so true. Was I going about this whole thing wrong? _Damn!_ Too late now.

"Get out!" She shouted, barely holding back the tears as I passed her. "How dare you come into _my_ apartment and call me all of these ridiculous names. Tell me what I am. What did you think was going to happen, Anna? Think this was going to be civil with tea and crumpets? I'm sorry to disappoint the idealistic little world that revolves so perfectly around you. Self-righteous little brat. Everyone else be damned!"

"You don't even know what you're talking about anymore!" I was in the hall by then and had just turned to find the door slamming in my face. "So that's it?!" I rapped on the door with a purpose. "In that _idealistic_ world of mine you mentioned, in the one here and now, wherever! I can't just abandon you!"

"Quit sounding so needy and pathetic!" She pounded on the door too. "We're both big girls, here. Let it go."

"Emmie-"

"GO AWAY ANNA!" Came the pain-filled screech that made me jump away from the door as if she'd slapped me again.

I left without another word.

As I sped down the road on that gorgeously hot day, one question kept chasing itself around in my head under the noise of my bike.

 _What the hell have I done?_

* * *

 _A/N: Okay. Had no idea it would turn out like this, but there it is so...yeah.  
Thanks for reading and whatnot.  
_

 _Tootles~_


	44. Check the Lost & Found

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _Parking lot._

 _"I can't believe you!" Elsa's face was a thousand different kinds of hurt which only made me feel worse and worse as the seconds ticked away agonizingly slow._

 _"I didn't-" I knew there wasn't anything I could say right then, but that didn't stop me from trying._

 _"You let her kiss you, Anna." Blue eyes bored into mine. There were no tears. She'd been a little too angry for them. "If you loved me like you said you did, there wouldn't even have been a slight possibility for her to kiss you." She turned away to push her hand through her hair. Beautiful hair that shimmered under the streetlights, under the full moon. "No matter what you say, I'm going to have no choice but to think that you actually didn't mind her kissing you."_

 _My eyes widened. "Elsa, that's- I never meant for her-"_

 _"Oh, come off it." She snapped, making me shut up as she turned back to me, to keep my eyes trapped in hers. "You liked the extra attention. Which was why you didn't think to run in the first place."_

 _"I-"_

 _"Esmeralda is ENGAGED!" Elsa threw her hands up and then took a few steps away from me. "At least she should be. And that was a CLEAR sign for you to back off, yet you go and try to what? Help her cope with losing you as a friend or something? What the hell, Anna?"_

 _"I only did what I felt was right!" I crossed my arms over my chest and shot my eyes to the pavement below. No wonder they say the truth hurts._

 _"Right. Because 'feelings' are always so spot on." Elsa scoffed. I winced, evident child taking a lecture that needed to be heard. "You told me that whatever you did, whoever you were with, you were with me. What happened to that? At that very moment she went to kiss you I never even crossed your mind, did I?"_

 _"I-I didn't kiss her back, Elsa." I stated lamely._

 _"Like that makes it any better." She turned around again and looked up to the loft. "You need to tell Phoebus." When she looked back to find my fish-out-of-water face, she shook her head. "You want to chase someone that's a lot older than you are, then you'll need to grow up fast." Blue eyes crashed into mine again. "You both need to grow up and stop living where you think EVERYTHING will be handed to you at the snap of your fingers. You can't have both of us, Anna!"_

 _And that was exactly what I told Esmeralda, but somehow it hurt far more to hear it from the love of my life. "I'm- I don't WANT to chase her!" I yelped, feeling like the night wanted to swallow me whole. "I don't want Esmeralda." Reaching out was a mistake since Elsa jerked away like I'd burned her. "I-I want you, Elsa. I've always wanted you." My voice broke and I would have done anything to take it back, to hold her in my arms right then._

 _"It doesn't 'feel' that way right now." She muttered with a raw hint of anger and sarcasm. Underneath it all, I knew her heart was splitting. Mine was broken already and I hated myself for making her go through it too._

 _Just like that, it felt like the blinds were pulled back as something dawned on me. "Elsa-" My eyes widened all over again. "This- I mean- you aren't going to break up with me over this, are you?" It was the worse case scenario, but a very real one at that. A real possibility now that I'd screwed up big time._

 _But, she snapped back to me so fast, I feared she'd gotten whiplash. Confusion swept over her gorgeous face before an incredulous laugh escaped her mouth. "Wow." She breathed. It seemed like she didn't even know me anymore. I didn't exactly know either. "No. I'm not." Blue met teal once more. "If I were a lesser person who couldn't deal, then yes. This would have been over from the first time she tried to kiss you." She stepped back into my space. "I'm not a coward who runs at the first smell of trouble and shame on you if you've ever thought of me like that, Anna."_

 _There. Under her steely gaze, I had nothing to say._

 _"But I'm going to need some time away from you."_

 _"W-what?" My breath flew from my lungs faster than ever. "Why?"_

 _"I am very upset with you right now and I need time so I don't slap you like I so badly want to."_

 _If that was what it took to get back in her good graces... "Do it." I straightened my spine, swallowing over the lump in my throat. "Let me have what I deserve."_

 _"Isn't that one of the rules of manipulation?" Elsa stepped back and kept her hands at her sides. "Not giving them what they want, but giving them the 'opportunity' to get it?"_

 _So she wanted to give me the chance to earn the slap? "I don't kn- That sounds like complete torture." I let out a nervous chuckle, confused as ever. "D-don't do this to me, Snow Paw." I pleaded._

 _"You did this to yourself, Anna." Elsa's voice broke too. "Learn to take responsibility for your actions." And with that, she turned away again to walk back to their building._

 _I silently watched as she didn't even turn around. World starting to crumble around me and it was only the beginning._

* * *

School. The next day.

I felt like I was wearing a gigantic sign that stated what I did the day before. Everywhere, people looked at me and whether it was just out of curiosity or greeting or even spite, I couldn't shake the awful feeling that had attached to me since I left Esmeralda's apartment. _Ugh_ , I didn't want to think about it ever again.

I wanted it swept under the rug, never to be seen again. Kaput.

But it wasn't that easy was it?

"You look like something the cat dragged in!" Kida snickered, placing her lunch across from mine as she took her seat. "You know, after the ghastly thing has played with it until it died and then played with it more to see if it was really dead and then-"

"I get it, Kida." I muttered.

"Yeah, what happened anyway?" Olaf finally asked since he'd been sitting beside me that whole time.

"Oooh, she still had her ring on when she slapped you, didn't she?" Kida boldly reached over to lift my face into the blinding sun so she could get a better look. I shook her off with an annoyed growl, but deflated soon after and continued poking at the sandwich that didn't even appeal to me. _Food. Gross._

"Slapped? Anna, are you fighting with Elsa?" Kristoff chimed in too.

"I bet she wanted to." Kida smirked. I really didn't like that she was enjoying this. "Which reminds me, hey-" Just as I looked up, I was suddenly gaping in the same direction Elsa was walking. Our eyes met, but the surprise she held there rivaled mine and I wasted no time in snapping at the girl who'd just given me my second slap in two days.

"Whoa-" Olaf shrunk away like a startled animal.

"Hey!" Kristoff's nose flared as he grabbed Kida's arm and forced it back to their side of the table.

"What the hell, Kidagakash?!" I screeched, feeling utterly defeated and stupid above everything else.

"I told you I would kick your butt if you hurt Elsa." She kept her face stoic, shaking Kristoff's hold on her before directing a glare at him. "She went to Esmeralda's apartment yesterday."

"What?" Kristoff and Olaf said at the same time. When their eyes met mine, I felt like breaking right then.

Instead, I flexed my jaw and stood up, letting my food scatter all over the place. "Okay! Yes, I went to her house and let her kiss me and it was the worst idea I've ever had." Yanking my bag up, I directed my glare at the white-haired girl. "Screw you, Kida." I snarled and began a fast pace away from them.

Away from the judgement of my friends and prying eyes.

Away from Elsa.

I had to get away before I did something stupid.

Passing right by Elsa and Gerda, I didn't bother to look back as I took up a sprint that lead me straight to my bike. Luckily, my feet knew where to go because tears were blinding my vision. _I'm such an idiot._

* * *

I didn't know where to go because _everywhere_ screamed Elsa or Esmeralda and I didn't want to think of either of them. I would have to if I wanted to fix this, but for the moment, I was nearly hell-bent on finding a place I hadn't been with either of them. I needed somewhere to think, to review what had happened in private. Home wasn't an ideal place because Elsa had been there, anywhere in Arendelle wouldn't cut it. I needed isolation, if only for a few hours. This was something I couldn't work out with a punching bag and it was completely ridiculous that no matter where I thought of going, Elsa was there. I'd taken her everywhere, shown her all the places that were special to me.

 _Crap._

I needed to get out of Arendelle altogether, then.

So, with that last thought, I took the nearest turnaround and got on to the interstate. Weaving in and out of cars may not have been a smart move, but I didn't care. Any longer, I would have to pull over and lose it right there on the bridge that one had to cross in order to get into the heart of the city. _No._ I couldn't do that, so I continued until a certain exit came up that would lead me to a place I hadn't been in ages.

It was the only place I hadn't taken Elsa because I didn't want her to see it. _She doesn't need to know how messed up I got._ Considering the only times I went there, compared with this time around, it couldn't have been more perfect. A little macabre, but who was I kidding? I needed to vent and berate myself for total idiocy and what better place to do that than the place where my mom died?

High up on the cliffs just on the outside of Arendelle, heading close to the McKinley County line, on the complete opposite side of Lookout Mountain was where the accident had taken place. I'd come here often when things got to be too much and at age fourteen, _everything_ was too much to bear without a mother to me. I remembered that I'd actually stayed up here one night. My dad was furious with me, but I felt like it was worth it. It was nice getting to talk to her.

Killing my engine and booting out my kickstand, I dismounted and let my helmet fall to the ground below. I ignored the warning signs about staying on the other side of the rail and gingerly climbed down to the spot where I'd made a makeshift cross with her name scratched into the wood.

"H-hey, mom." I whimpered.

Suddenly my knees went wobbly and before I knew it, there was a cut on my leg from a stray broken beer bottle as I crashed to the dirt. My hands came up to claw at my eyes and a piercing wail erupted from my very core. Nobody had ever seen me like this and I desperately wanted to keep it that way. As much as I loved Elsa, I couldn't let her see this side of me. The side that used to imagine slipping right off the ledge to greet the crashing waves and rocky terrain below so she could be with her mother again, the one that decided to take up cutting for a short period of time, the one that had gotten drunk one night and passed out there until the chilly morning jolted her awake. No. No way. Nobody could know just how messed up I'd been the last two years.

 _Self-righteous brat. You liked the extra attention. Sorry to disappoint the idealistic little world that revolves so perfectly around you! At that very moment she went to kiss you I never even crossed your mind, did I? Quit sounding so needy and pathetic! You can't have both of us, Anna! What makes you so high and mighty?! Learn to take responsibility for your actions._

Blue. Green. Blue-green, greenbluegreenbluebluegreen- their eyes swarmed through my mind, mixing together with their voices and what was said. The slaps, the truths, everything I'd been trying to build up fell straight through the not-at-all promising bottom and piled on top of me. Crushing me under the weight.

Another pain-filled scream escaped me as I clutched my temples in my hands. _What have I done? What did I do? What the hell's wrong with me?!_ I wanted Esmeralda to kiss me. It was true that I didn't think twice about her liking me. Maybe I even liked the attention. _I messed up. I'M messed up._ Elsa should have slapped me too. Kida should have really kicked my ass like she said she would. _I deserve it._ Like _Amanda Waller_ said: 'There are people in this world who deal only in extremes. It's naive to think that anything less than extreme measures will stop them.' _A destructive fool like me needs it._

Or maybe I didn't.

Maybe I just needed to get off my stupid high horse and accept that I _liked_ Esmeralda to a certain degree, which was I couldn't really push her away like I should have. Could have? Since that first night we met she'd had some weird pull on me. It was like once that talking barrier was breached after the first class, she been wanting to get closer. I was naive and didn't get the messages that had been there all along. The way she looked at me, touched me, teased me. Kristoff had been the only one to really see and say anything about it, but I was very much in denial at that point. I mean, she was _engaged_ and all, so I figured it was safe. _I_ was safe from feeling anything because of that forever band around her finger.

How wrong was I to think that?

Then she goes on and tells me that she's liked me for awhile and I _still_ don't find anything wrong with it. I was flattered to have someone as pretty as her be into me, I suppose. _Damn, I'm so twisted._ At the expense of my relationship with Elsa, I went after her. For what? Even then, I didn't know. I liked to think that it was because we needed some closure, but that was a big fat lie. _It's so much easier to lie than to face the truth._ And the big, ugly truth was that I _did_ want to kiss her. For whatever sick reason, I wanted to, but the more noble side of me had taken over when it happened. The side that loved Elsa unconditionally, the one that was firm on the foundations building there.

This sick side of me wanted Esmeralda. The one that cut herself, who drank, who didn't give a damn about life without a mom in it. The fact that I could see two different sides of myself right then scared the hell out of me. One was more familiar. The one I woke up to every morning, her name was Anna. Without a doubt. She loved Elsa, her friends, her dad, and life as it was. She was content. But this other one, the...the darker version. I didn't know who that was. I just knew that she didn't trust anybody. She was naughty and liked it. She could lie, steal, cheat, whatever despicable thing you could name, that was her. She scared me, but there was _no_ way I would let her have her way.

I was better than that.

I could deal with this. I could love Elsa like she needed to be. I didn't have to be spiteful because my mom wasn't there anymore. I could be good.

Right?

 _Right?_

"I'm sorry." My voice was jagged like the unforgiving rocks below. Looking to where my mom's worn cross was hammered into the ground. "I'm sure you never wanted your daughter to be screwed up like this." A hiccup as I wiped my tender eyes. "Give me the strength to fight off whoever the other one is, mom. P-please." My shaky hand reached out, but fell to the dirt around the bottom of the cross to grasp at the dirt. "She scares me."

The wind at my back was a little more hash and cool because of the different elevation. The waves crashed below, creating a certain white noise that was more haunting than comforting. Melancholy fell over me as I suddenly thought back to happier times with the woman named Eliza Crescent. Her beautiful blue eyes filtered into my vision and the smile that chased all the demons away crashed into me, making me flop on my stomach to bury my face in the dirt my hand had already been fisted in.

"I miss you, mommy." Came my gutted voice as tears of longing rushed down my cheeks. I wanted her to hug me and tell me it was going to be alright. To hear her beating heart under my ear as I snuggled into her secure warmth. To smell the scent I'd been accustomed to my whole life. I wanted my mother. "I miss you s-so much." My pathetic whimper carried across the fjord and into nothingness and I knew that it was impossible, but I still wished I could see her one last time. If I could trick death so I could do that, I would have.

But I couldn't.

Sometimes having someone in your heart wasn't enough and right then it felt like I was free falling with nothing there to catch me when I eventually came to the end. And for some strange reason, I thought that maybe I would be better off when I hit the ground. Maybe if my heart stopped beating it wouldn't hurt as much. _Yeah._

And then the funniest thing that could have happened, happened right then with that last moronic thought.

The perfect song to fit my situation stumbled into my drowning brain.

 _'...taking shortcuts and false solutions just to come out the hero._  
 _Well, I can see behind the curtains, the wheels are cranking, turning. It's all wrong, the way we're working, towards a goal that's nonexistent. It's nonexistent, but we just keep believing._  
 _And the worst part is, before it gets any better, we're heading for a cliff. And in the free fall I will realize, I'm better off when I hit the bottom...'_

Just when I thought I couldn't cry anymore, my calming emotions suddenly resurfaced with a vengeance and allowed the bitter tears to choke their way out of me.

* * *

Back in Arendelle.

"What are you talking about?!" I tried not to raise my voice (which was still a little raw) from being up there, but what Phoebus just said pushed me over the limit. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"I did." He chuffed, moving papers around on his desk. "Loud and clear Ms. Crescent." When I first stopped there, I was afraid to meet him head on to tell him what happened. He was just so built and tall and intimidating that I feared he would smash his fists through that ominous mahogany desk and run me out of there. But he just scratched his bearded chin, bored his eyes into mine and brushed it off. Like I'd come in here with a complaint about the concrete chipping outside the door which was why the majority of people practically stumbled into the precinct.

"Even though she's broken the deal already, you're willing to let it slide and _still_ marry her?!" Luckily, he'd gotten his promotion, so we were in his office with the door closed.

"Six times in three years." He narrowed his eyes at me. "The deal was ten sessions at an addicts meeting and if you really think about it, it's not that much to ask. Especially if it was just a kiss."

"She barely did _three_ by your count!" I yelped. "I thought you were supposed to be getting married soon."

"She already told me about it. She apologized and as we speak she's in another meeting."

"But... _why?!_ " I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Esmeralda was a sex addict!?

"I expected it." Phoebus stated plainly. "It's typical of Em to do something like that." Leaning back in his chair, he let a fond smile grace his fuzzy lips. "I'm drawn to her. I know she's kind of a mess, but that was something I figured out a long time ago. Besides that, she's been my best friend since we were kids." Again, he looked at me. "I can't _not_ love her. Do you understand?"

 _'I don't trust that gypsy girl.'_ I remembered Esmeralda mocking Phoebus's mother's tone of voice. "No." I shook my head, feeling like I was right back on the cliffs again. The earth starting to crumble from under me once again. "I _don't_ understand." My hand gripped the chair until my knuckles blanched. "I-I'm seventeen." I tried, eyes spasming back and forth between his. "Your _fiance_ ," the _sex addict_ , "kissed me. She let me into her apartment and _kissed_ me!" In a flash, I was on my feet with the chair clattering away from me. "That doesn't piss you off?!"

"Of course it does." Phoebus stayed where he was. "She was doing so good until she met you."

I jerked back like he'd slapped me too. Backhanded even. "You- so you're saying it's _my_ fault? She only did three sessions since you proposed and now you're putting it all on me?!"

"Don't think you were the _only_ one, now." That time he stood up to loom over me like the Golden State Bridge.

"But-"

"I'm sorry it came out like that." He cleared his throat and straightened his tie, badges gleaming under the lights of his office. "There have been other incidences, but we were able to handle and contain them." He spoke as if we were discussing a virus outbreak and it gave me chills.

"Then _I_ happened." I gasped, more from the unpleasant ways my stomach was churning. I was going to hurl any second now. "You _are_ blaming me." Bracing myself on his desk, I brought my eyes back to his. Unfocused. "And you're still going to marry her?"

"I'm not going to abandon her in her hour of need." He partly snapped.

Full circle. I was falling again. Deep into those murky waters that awaited me. _I_ had said something similar not that long ago before it came back to bite me. But he was going to take it. He was going to accept her for all her faults, even if it continued hurting him and I couldn't decide whether that was love, or something else entirely. It was...unhealthy. Toxic. Something they couldn't stop doing no matter what, or how hard they tried. They were as screwed up as I was!

I left without another word and promptly threw my guts up in the trashcan just outside of the precinct.

* * *

Two Days Later.

The knock on my door was inevitable and instead of fighting it like all the times before, I let him in.

"Hey, Panda. Can I sit?" My dad's voice was cautious, like he'd break something with it and when his figure came into view, I turned over in my bed. Away from him. How could I face him when I couldn't even face myself? If _I_ couldn't bear the sickly sight of me, how could I expect my dad to? The man who had never given up on me, who stood by me through thick and thin? Who knew little pieces of the other side of me that I'd decided to call L?

L for Loser. Loathsome. Lethargic. Lamentable. Laughable. Lowbred. Loki...

"No offense, honey, but when did you last shower?" My dad's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Yesterday." I lied. "Haven't done laundry in awhile, though." Truthfully, I didn't even know what day it was since I quite caring. I let my phone die and hadn't even bothered to charge it. I ate a hot pocket the other day and drank water, but that was it. I'd been holed up in my room since the talk with _Captain_ Phoebus. Since everything went down hill and I became familiar with who I could be should I ever completely give up on life.

It was depressing.

"Elsa was here a little while ago." He said, focusing on something other than my personal hygiene thankfully.

"Thanks for not letting her see me like this." I muttered, curling in on myself with a sigh.

A few minutes, maybe hours, went by and then I felt the bed dip. My dad took a breath and touched my shoulder. "Get up, Anna."

"Why?" I shied away from his touch. "School's over and I don't have anybody to be pretty for." _If there was ever a time in my life that I was pretty._ L wanted to cackle at that and say it to spite the man called my father, but Anna easily held on for control. Her love outweighed L's flimsy wants. _I'm so confused!_

"You will take a shower, or so help me, I will bathe you like I used to." He threw the covers back, making me scramble for them again because I was only dressed in a muscle shirt and panties.

"D-dad! Cut it out!" I yelped, swatting at his hands to stop him from picking me up and I would have fought until I went blue in the face had he not sniffled. Suddenly all the energy I had died like my phone battery when I beheld the tear tracks staining his face. That strong face that was almost impenetrable.

 _I made him cry._ Submission came right away after that.

Letting him carry me to the restroom, I stayed silent and listened to him when he told me to stay right where I was while he started the bath. _I'm the world's worse daughter._ My fingers fiddled with one another while tears wanted to overflow, but they wouldn't. I'd cried so much the last couple of days I was afraid my tear ducts were completely dried out.

"What's this?" Jade eyes filled my vision and I felt his calloused hand touch my cheek.

"I got slapped." I murmured, not willing to shy away from him again. And then I remembered that the bruise was on my other cheek. "It- that was an accident." I swallowed thickly. His eyes flicked to mine before he reached down to pull my wrists out. "Dad, I-I-" I choked up when those eyes turned frantic, searching for something I was _glad_ wasn't there. "I didn't cut myself." My voice was so small, as broken as he looked in that instant.

"No?" He tried, making shake my head.

"My nails. Forgot to clip them." Just like that, he brought my hands up to his line of sight and virtually sighed in relief.

"Panda, what-"

"I messed up, dad." I wanted to take my hands back so I could wrap them around myself, but they stayed limply in his own. " _I'm_ messed up and I'm so sorry you have to put up with me-"

"Stop it." His sturdy arms suddenly surrounded me in a crushing hug. "How dare you say that, Anna." A heartbreaking sob shook through his frame. "You are my daughter. M-my _only_ daughter. You don't get to say that I _have_ to put up with you." My hands came up to dig into his shirt.

Bit by bit, the foundation that had crumbled under me began to morph again. I was coming to surface after being in the depths of that unforgiving water too long.

"I don't care what you did to make you like this, baby." His hand threaded through my dirty hair. "Even if you become the world's most wanted criminal, I would still love you because you're my daughter and that's what parents do."

"Not all parents." I managed.

"Then it's what _I_ do." Pulling back, he showed me his watery eyes and that was it for me.

"I'm the reason a sex addict had a relapse." I began bravely. "I-I didn't know she was an addict and I-" There was the sob that had been building since I saw my dad's broken face. "I _wanted_ -" I couldn't find the strength to finish, so I brought my legs up on the toilet and buried my face in my knees as the tears spilled over again.

"It's okay." My dad shifted until I was practically curled up in his lap. "You don't have to tell me."

"That's why I'm so messed up!" I partly shouted, ignoring the way my throat protested against it.

"To err is human, sweetheart." He kept me flush against him. "If growing up were so easy, why does it take so long?"

I couldn't answer that. Part of me wanted to point out that Elsa had told me to grow up, that Esmeralda said we were both big girls, but what did that even mean? I _knew_ I was still a child and that it was childish to try to have the best of both worlds. A child that figured Elsa wasn't good enough so I needed the attention of others while she silently willed them away from me.

 _Self-righteous brat._

That's what I was. Without a doubt.

"You need to stop beating yourself up." My dad leaned over to turn the water off. "It's been a few days and I've let you have them, but now it's time to-" A heavy sigh because there was no way around it. "Stop running."

I hadn't expected that, so I looked at him questionably. He released me then and turned around so I could get undressed. _What's he saying? I'm still- I'm not running._ With my mind at odds with itself, I stripped and slid into the tub where pink bubbles met the tip of my nose. "I don't get it." I finally said after a few more moments of silence.

"Nobody said it was easy." My dad lifted himself to sit on the toilet, still not really looking at me. "Things are going to happen that will make you question yourself, your love for someone, none of it is going to come easy." Pushing a hand through his hair, he briefly met my eyes and then looked away again. "Living isn't for the weak, Panda and our strength is determined by whether we get back up or not."

"But what if-" Could I? Could I tell him about L? Would he send me to a mental institute? Biting my lip, I rubbed self-consciously at my shoulder. "You know how the _Yin Yang_ thing is set up? What if _I_ said I had two different sides of myself like that?" I finished in a rush and it took all I had to _not_ dunk my head under the water so I could escape further embarrassment. _It makes sense in my head!_ "Forget it. I think I'm sleep deprived."

"You start living one way as something else, it's hard to keep track of whose who." Was his reply which made me look back at him in confusion all over again. "I think their are at least two different sides to everyone." He clarified. "There's the one you are to your closest friends and they can range from happy and outgoing to moody and distant, but then there's one you don't show to anyone. This is the person you are behind closed doors, when no one is around-"

"L." I blurted.

"What?" My dad turned to face me again.

"L." I said again with confidence. "That's who I've been the last couple of days. It's L's fault that I'm where I am right now." My jaw flexed and I blew bubbles away from my mouth. "Anna's completely heartbroken for basically cheating on Elsa while L's over there wanting nothing more than to run off with Esmeralda- _fudge_ I sound so insane!" That time I _did_ let the water cover my head. _What am I thinking? He's totally going to think he's raising a freak! Crap, what if he gives up and hauls me off to be a ward of the state?!_ I didn't even want to come back up for air.

I eventually did and found my dad still sitting there with a blank expression. "Uh-" I began after wiping my eyes of soap.

"This is something I can't help you with, my dear." He reached over to pinch my cheek. "And judging from the look on your face, _no_ I do not think you're crazy. So get the images of me enrolling you to _Arkham Asylum_ out of your head, young lady."

"I- that is- what?" I spluttered.

"Come to terms with these sides of yourself." He flashed me a toothy grin. "You'll be better off for it and then you can _finally_ be the person you want to be, but keep this in mind," Standing to his feet, he stretched his back out. "It might not happen right away. If not now, it could be somewhere down the road. Three months from now, years, who knows?"

"But I thought I already knew." I didn't want him to leave just yet. I couldn't wade these uncharted waters alone. "I said I was your daughter."

"That's who you _want_ to be." He held a finger up. "You're not there yet. Don't get me wrong, you _are_ my daughter and I love you unconditionally now and forever, but that person you want to be isn't who you are right now." He smiled again. "She's confused, afraid and hesitate, but that's completely fine. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Dad, that's- you're not making _any_ sense." I released part of an incredulous laugh.

"I know, baby girl." Coming back, he placed a kiss to the top of my head. "You need to think about this by yourself first. Calm your clamoring brain and find that place where you can think and see clearly. I'm here for you." With another pat to my head, he then left me to myself.

 _I'm not there yet?_ I thought right after the door closed.

 _I'm not there yet._

* * *

Was it possible for the dark to get darker? Could there be an instance were L would take over Anna completely?

 _No._

Darkness wasn't an absolute. Not entirely. It was just the absence of light, right? The same way cold is merely the absence of heat. It didn't matter how lonely I'd been after my mom's death, the darkness of L cutting at her arms, the discontent I'd been with having a few people like me other than Elsa, the numbness I'd sunk into before my dad came to knock sense into me. There was a hope there that just existed through it all.

With no hesitation on my part, I didn't want that hope to fade. I didn't want to lose track of it, especially if it was there the whole time while I faced the dead of night. No matter how many times I would try to go back into that darkness, to fall from my high horse, I wanted to reflect that light, that hope. Even if Elsa and I fought for the last time, I wanted to know I would be alright without her. If not overwhelmingly happy, then at least okay with having been acquainted with that beautiful person and having her reciprocate even a smidgen of that love.

I wanted to know what I didn't need something drastic to happen for me in order to know that I was worth loving. Then again, maybe I did. '...It's naive to think that anything less than extreme measures will stop them.' Whatever way, I had to accept it.

L. Anna. I had to accept them for who they were because if _I_ didn't, if _I_ couldn't, then how could I expect anyone else to? L dealt with extremes and would be a great asset to Waller without a doubt (not really) but she was the more passionate one. The one who wore her heart on her sleeve and wasn't afraid to see things how they were. The dark. On the other hand, there was Anna. Now _she_ rose every morning intent on doing her everyday roles like the good girl her mother raised. She was happy, felt angry, but she was the one too proud to see the bad in people. It was Anna that didn't mind the extra attention, but it was L that acted.

I couldn't live like that anymore. I wouldn't. So, through it all, who would I eventually let take the driver's seat? Sweet little fragile Anna whose been at it longer, or fearless, scary, and confident L. If I chose one over the other, there would definitely be another episode like the Esmeralda stunt at a later date and it would probably be a little worse. Sure, I was ready for it now, but.

But, I could choose to let go of my 'screwed up' past and start my future. So...

 _Both._ Anna. L.

 _Why not both?_

* * *

Back at school. Monday.

 _'...I keep thinking that our problems soon are all gonna work out._  
 _But there's that same unhappy feeling and there's that anguish there's that doubt._  
 _It's the same old dizzy hang-up, can't do with you or without._  
 _Tell me why is it so?_  
 _Don't wanna let you go...'_

"' _I never can say goodbye, boy.'"_ I sang along to myself, pirouetting on the spot because after what might have been forever, I felt good. Better than I ever did before and I couldn't stop myself from continuing, practically dancing like an idiot in the halls. _"'Ooh, baby. I never can say goodbye. No-no-no, no-no-no, ooh...'"_

"Anna?"

 _"'Never, never, never, never, never, never, never.'"_ Another triple spin let a giggle slip from my lips as my arms came out during the spins. _"'I never can say goodbye, boy. I got to have ya. I never can say goodbye to you. Ohh. Yeah, yeah, yeah.'"_ After coming back from a moonwalk, I slid into place with a jump. _"'Yeah, yeah, yeah!'"_

And promptly came face to face with none other than Ariel Simmons.

 _Whoa there!_ My jaw dropped, but I recovered quick enough to leave her still shocked while I stepped back out of her personal space. "And how is Miss Simmons these days? Still angry that Dorothy dropped a house on her sister?" I snickered before kicking myself mentally. _Whoops._ "I-I mean- I'm sorry about that." Reaching back up, I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. _Idiot._

"Don't you have class?" She snapped like she was an officer. Before she could walk further away from me, I tried to catch back up to her.

"Ariel- hey, wait a second, please?" When she stopped, I pulled the earbuds out of my ears while she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"What?" She all but snarled and had it still been mere days ago, I might've just walked the other way if I didn't punch her or something.

"Look, I know we haven't seen each other eye-to-eye like, _ever_." I cleared my throat. "But, I was thinking, you know, since you'll be graduating next week-"

"I'm sorry." She beat me to it and I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"Aw, you ruined it!" I groaned, making her brows raise.

"Should I-"

"No, it's fine." I waved her off. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry too. For all the times I retaliated, breaking your nose, sticking my own in business I shouldn't have been and just plain not liking you from the start."

"Careful." Ariel tilted her head a bit. "You're starting to sound nice."

"Trying something new." I grinned. "There's this new drug-"

"Oh, get real." She snorted, but then sighed. When she looked around, I did too, knowing that we were both very tardy to our next classes. But she was probably making sure no one was watching ud and I was fine with that. "I'm sorry for being jealous of you, your relationship with the student council president, and just for being a complete witch to you."

"For tripping me?" I nudged her, making her take a hesitant step back because it was so unnatural. _Perhaps I could reign it in for now._ Wouldn't want to scare anybody off just yet.

"L-let's not push it." She chuckled nervously and then she turned away to play with a strand of her hair. "I broke it off with Eric by the way."

"I-"

"It isn't because of what you said or anything." She blurted, making me close my mouth. "I just- I figured that I-"

"Ariel?" I boldly placed a hand on her shoulder. Ocean blue eyes met mine as I gave her a slightly lopsided smile. "I'm happy for you. No more mixed feelings. Feels kinda good doesn't it?"

"...Sure, Anna." Ariel agreed after a skeptical moment of trying to figure out what the heck was going on with me. "Are you _actually_ on drugs?" She finally asked.

"Nope." I patted her shoulder again. "You owe me a hug though and I plan to collect come Graduation, so work yourself up to it." Another sly grin. "Wouldn't want you going to _Debartolo PA_ without knowing where we stand."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What-"

"Girls, get to class." Weselton appeared out of nowhere, chasing Ariel off right away while I lingered.

"Henry!" I crowed, stepping closer to him when he straightened up in authority. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"What is it?" He asked, clearly wondering why I wasn't in class.

"Step into my office." I gestured to the direction of his office and let him lead the way with a huff on his part.

* * *

Lunch.

Arms wrapped around my shoulders and a face buried itself in my shoulder. "It's _so_ good to have you back, Anna!" Olaf dramatically wept as I tried my best to hold us upright.

I would have let him drag me down so we could wrestle in the grass, but, "O, m-my skirt!" I yelped when a sudden gust of wind blew at us and I frantically tried to keep my panties from showing. Ridiculous skirts.

"That's no fun! Good blackmail material." Kida spoke up next, but then nearly shoved Olaf out of the way so she could crush me in her own hug. "I'm sorry." She murmured into my neck with a voice I hadn't heard her use before. _Guilt?_

"It's okay, Kida." I wrapped my arms around her and sighed against her shoulder. "You should name your hand." Pulling back, I pointed to my healed cheek. (The scratches I chose to cover with foundation for now.) " _Sense._ "

"That's not funny." She scolded, showing me hurt, confusion, and guilt in those big eyes of hers. "I-I should have taken into account how badly you were- I didn't mean to cause-"

"It's fine. Hey," I cupped her cheek, catching her glossy eyes with mine. "It's _fine._ " I stated, gesturing at myself. "I'm right here and I'm okay. Okay?"

"I'm so stupid." She tried again, but I shut her up with a tight hug.

"We all are." I chuckled. Olaf came back to wiggle into my side like some sort of puppy wanting attention.

"I can vouch for that." He began happily, but then sighed just as heavily.

"O?" I asked, letting go of Kida so I could try to decipher the dejected look Olaf was sporting suddenly. "What happened?"

"Kristoff told Sen about..." He didn't need to say more.

"How'd she take it?' I asked around a wince.

"I don't know." Olaf shook his head. "He stopped texting after he told me he told her."

"He didn't show up this morning." Kida added, crossing her arms over her midsection. I wondered if that was a habit now. _Stupid Milo._

"We'll give him today." I wrapped my arms around their shoulders. "If he doesn't show up later today or tomorrow, we'll go bash his door in and drag him out for a drive to the special spot." At that, Olaf's eyes lit right back up.

"I can see if Marshall can spare a bottle of something!" As excited as he was about it, I wasn't so sure about having a drink. Unless Kristoff was in a bad a place as I'd been and needed me, then I would. For now though, I didn't want to even be around the stuff.

"But, I'm still grounded!" Kida groaned.

"That's too bad, sister." I pretended to exclude her and turned to Olaf, but before I could open my mouth, my eyes caught familiar arctic blues. Both of our eyes widened in surprise at the same time until Kida jerked me back around, spouting how ridiculous I was being. "Alright, chill!" I laughed and pushed her off of me. "Why don't you talk that over with Olaf while I go fix something that's still broken."

When Kida saw what I was talking about, squeezed my arm. "Good luck."

"Think she'll slap her?" I heard Olaf ask as I started walking in the opposite direction of them. Of course, I smiled at the loud _thump_ and balk that followed.

"Hey." I stated as a greeting to Elsa who was standing by the stairs. Gerda had been with her, but as I approached, the girl left us to ourselves.

"Hi." Came her melodious voice. Accent still there.

"I-" We said at the same time. "You go-" We both chuckled slightly at one another.

"Well, this is certainly better than bashing our heads together." I felt my cheeks heat a little as I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"I-I stopped by the other day." Elsa blurted uncharacteristically.

"I was still in a bad place."

"Your phone-"

"Is dead. I actually lost my charger." And I did. I figured that Kida might have taken it that day without my knowledge and I just didn't think to replace it yet. "But don't worry, I'll get one as soon as school's over."

"I'm sorry, _Gattina._ " Elsa stepped closer.

"Today is just the day to say that, huh?" I looked around like people would be there to agree with me. "Must be Monday." Turning back, I gave her one of my more genuine grins and when she only looked more hurt each passing second, I stepped closer too. "I'm not in denial or anything, Snow Paw." Instead of enveloping her in a hug like I so badly wanted to, I only opened my arms in invitation because the last thing I wanted to do was seem desperate to be back in her good graces.

Heaven knows that _that_ was all I wanted and I _was_ desperate for that, but I also understood that I needed to work up her trust again. She needed to know about L and I was willing to lay whatever I was at her feet that time around. _All._ Even if it was just measly ole _me_. Elsa had to be okay with the newer me, but that didn't mean I had to forget some of the things I'd learned just for her.

Taking a step back and keeping my arms spread, I began to sing like an idiot. If I'd thought it over, I could have learned her favorite elementary song and sang that one instead. _Next time._ There _would_ be a next time. No matter what.

 _"'Posso essere il tuo eroe. Posso baciare (e far andar) via il dolore._  
 _Resterò per sempre al tuo fianco._  
 _Ti mi puoi togliere il fiato.'"_

My pronunciations may have been way off Italy and if it was, then I could blame the person who wrote the lyrics and whoever sung it. I didn't care that students were looking our way because the one I truly loved was standing in front of me. Red in the face with embarrassment, sure, but still there.

" _Ti amo._ " Elsa wiped her eyes a little self-consciously before stepping into my arms. She'd folded in the last second so she actually looked shorter and smaller than me, but it didn't matter. I would hold on to her and I wouldn't let go. _No siree._

"I love you more, Snow Paw." I whispered, pressing a loving kiss into her hair. "I'm sorry too." A smile stretched over my lips. "Guess that means your stuck with me, huh?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Elsa pulled back and right there. On the front steps of the school, during a busy lunch hour, she cupped my cheeks and pressed her lips to mine.

Whoever had been paying attention at first began a slow chant and by the time I felt Elsa's face heat up a lot more against me, the cheers had already begun to swell. Wolf-whistles and catcalls eventually tore us apart, but instead of running like she wanted to, I pulled her back to me and hugged her for all I was worth. Silently, I let her know that I wasn't about to let her go.

Not now. Not ever.

* * *

 _A/N: Well. This was a...an interesting chapter. Technically, I think Lentamente could be considered done. 0_0_

 _If that's the case then, thank you all for reading and keeping up with updates and whatnot...nah I think there could be another chapter so here's looking at that. Thanks again for reading!_

 _Tootles~_


	45. Eccoti

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 _'The Japanese say you have three faces._  
 _The first face, you show to the world._  
 _The second face, you show to your close friends and your family._  
 _The third face, you never show anyone._  
 _It is the truest reflection of who you are._  
 _-Unknown'_

 _Huh._ My eyes narrowed at the screen of my new phone. _Three now?_ I thought skeptically. Ever since my dad told me what he told me, I couldn't help but spend more time thinking about it. _The face you show the world...that's me, right?_ Taking a corner, I blindly walked down the hall as my feet lead me to a destination that had been embedded in me since the first day of school. _The one you show your friends and family...Anna?_ It was confusing, but I definitely knew the one who didn't get to see much of the world unless I was feeling rather angry at it for being so cruel: _L._

Although, I highly doubted L was who I was underneath it all. _The truest reflection...no. I can't actually be that messed up, can I?_

I wasn't sure, but one thing I did know was that I wasn't the same person I was the year before and I had the scars to prove it. (Both internally and externally.)

 _Okay, it is waaay too early for this._ I felt a slight headache coming on and probably would have driven myself mad to find the answers and put them all in order like I had OCD for explanation later had I not bashed into something hard. Something out of place, seeing as _nothing_ in the halls was that abrupt, unless...

"Oh, hey. Sorry about that-" His deep voice instantly died out when our eyes met. _Jeremy DeMatteis._ My first instinct was to coil back and hiss at him like a pissed off rattlesnake, but I caught myself and offered a tight smile like a human should have instead.

"Hi." I said, gingerly slipping my phone back in my pocket since I hadn't dropped it crashing into someone for once. Good thing too because it was an iPhone and my dad probably would have wrung my neck if I brought it home with a cracked screen. Precious iPhone aside, I wasn't actually sure if Jeremy recognized me as the extremely possessive girl who almost ran him over with her bike for talking to Elsa. But when he returned my smile, I knew I was safe for the time being. _He knows, though. I know he knows._ Who else had Elsa been eating lunch with, meeting up with between classes and leaving with after school? Who else was allowed to invade Elsa's personal space without her backing away? Yeah, he definitely had to know.

"Uh, J-Jeremy." He looked like he'd zoned out for a bit before snapping out of it and introduced himself by holding his hand out to me. How formal.

"Anna." I grasped his hand and gave it a hearty shake.

There was a short moment of silence where I witnessed his brilliant green eyes turn from friendly to recognition to something between fright and shock and then finally back to a more guarded, yet friendly gaze. It was quite the roller coaster for my emotions so early in the morning and by the time his mouth opened again, I was afraid he was going to report me to the principal's office. Perhaps the authorities? _Great, so you can deal with Phoebus again and we all know how that went._ I shuddered to think of that.

"That's a sweet ride you have." Jeremy let my hand go with such a killer smile I was sure a few girls swooned from behind me.

 _All the better to run you over with._ "Thanks." I muttered, trying desperately _not_ to repeat what I'd just thought. I might have been a little bit of a new person who tried not to lash out at someone I considered a threat or an enemy, but there was just something about him I still didn't like. Even after all that. It also might have been unfair and totally hypocritical of me to feel that way still, but I couldn't help it. _Jealousy can be so difficult sometimes._ Especially when you were trying to be good.

"So," He pushed his unreal golden locks behind an ear. Seriously, there wasn't a single body hair out of place on him. _Plastic Man._ "You and Mariani, huh?" The way he said it immediately caught my attention and it took all I had to not narrow my eyes at him.

 _Good to know you did get the message._ "Yes." I sent him another forced smile that would curdle dairy. "Since last year." I added. A part of me just wanted to poke him to see if he actually had that Ken-doll exterior, but I was able to contain myself and give him a proper sizing up. Since he brought up the love of my life in the first place, I could do that, right?

"Yeah. She's told me about you." He tried to work his way around the evil eye I was giving him by being lighthearted.

"She's mentioned nothing about you." I shot back before taking a sharp breath, swallowing my pride next. "Sorry, that's not true." Clearing my throat, I squared my shoulders and prepared to put on my big-girl pants. "Actually, Elsa did mention you." The shaky grin I managed that time had a little more gusto to it. Still no real feeling though.

"Yeah, I'll be helping with the carnival tomorrow." Jeremy shifted so that he his chin was _just_ hovering over my head. Shoulders for days.

I swear his voice, his hair, eyes, defined jaw, thick neck, just everything _Jeremy DeMatteis_ was _made_ specifically to put me on edge and make me a little crazy at the same time. "Will we get to dunk you?" I asked, not backing away from him even though his pecks were in my face. "You'll find that I have a pretty strong arm and _deadly_ precision." Looking up, I made sure he knew what I was talking about. _Back off and stay away._

It strangely felt like some sort of stand-off, but rest assured, _I_ had first dibs on Elsa. "I gotta get to class." Jeremy stated after keeping my gaze for a 'strained' lingering moment. During that time, I didn't notice two other people join us at my locker until he stepped around me to continue on his way. Or was he waiting there for me the whole time? _Yeah, that's exactly what he was doing. Take it easy, paranoia._

My hand reached for my combination and started twisting the lock before I even looked in the same direction. Teal never leaving unfamiliar green even as other students passed between us. "Hey, I tried right?" I finally huffed, turning around to Kida and Kristoff after Jeremy waved back at me with that impossible little boyish grin of his. I swear, he just rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't put a finger on why that was. _You're just threatened by him is all._ My brain tried to convince me to no avail. He was a little too perfect in my opinion. _Jeremy, would you like some sun? Because you're shady as f-_

"Yeah. Wasn't that bad." Kristoff shrugged indifferently, ripping me out of my thoughts in the nick of time.

"You're just being ridiculous." Kida said before slamming her own locker shut and then muttering on about when she'd be able to clean it out.

We'd all resorted to using our assigned lockers for the last few weeks of school so we didn't have to lug bags around. It was like we'd shed all the layers we could to feel lighter about the impending summer vacation. Even the majority of the bulky blazers were replaced with designated vests if one so wished. (I refused to wear my vest, though and opted for the button-up/tie alone.) Kristoff still wore his blazer while Kida and Olaf stuck to the dark blue wool. Polyester. Whatever the material was that made up the vests.

Groaning to myself, I pulled away from my reverie once more and lowered my voice as I spoke to the two who were waiting on me. "If Elsa ever asks, tell her I can play nice with others." _Even if the real Slim Shady hasn't stood up yet._

"Tell Elsa what?" Said girl appeared on the other side of me with a tentative hand to my bicep. Her familiar scent touched my nose and caused a wide grin to spread across my face faster than lightening. Jeremy DeMatteis was easily forgotten in the split-second process.

It was only for a moment though because he was _there_ no matter what and my jealousy wasn't swayed either. But this _was_ Elsa, not Jeremy, standing so close to me I could feel the warmth her body exuded against my side. "Oh, nothing, Schnookums." I raised my hands in a placative manner and then reached for my notebook. "Just...facing my fears head-on, so to say." An unconvincing laugh escaped through my lips when she raised an inquisitive brow at me.

I didn't have time to explain myself when a playful hand came up to pat my cheek. "Yeah, Toffy. Crescent's bringing in so much bank now, she's gonna buy us all a pony." Kida joked, not making a _lick_ of sense as she then took Kristoff's arm. It was my turn to frown at her, but she only blew a kiss back at us and they were walking away just like that. Leaving Elsa and I ourselves. _Now_ the confusion on Elsa's face grew ten-fold at Kida's never-ending weirdness, but as she decided to leave it and leaned a little closer into the space only she was allowed now, a small, secretive smile turned up the corner of her full lips.

"Did you just call me _Schnookums?_ " She asked around a quiet giggle.

"I did." I snorted, not missing a beat and closing my locker while I was at it. "But it was in between quotes."

"I didn't hear any quotes," There was a long enough pause that had my eyes dropping lower to see as her pearly white teeth nipped at her plush lower lip. "Love muffin." That time she _smirked_ when we made eye contact again and it made me feel nothing but giddiness all over because we were still in school _and_ supposed to be getting to class. To put it plainly, Elsa Mariani was _flirting_ with me out in the open and I could not be more proud of her. The fact that it was more than a little _hot_ didn't hurt whatsoever either.

But of course, my mouth ran away from me instead as an opportunity presented itself. Inner jokester and all. "Now you're just being _smutty_." I playfully waggled my eyebrows at her with a chortle, but stopped short when something like surprise and an unknown emotion crossed her beautiful features. "Too much?" I winced slightly. "You know, because I-"

"No, no." Elsa shook her head and I didn't miss the way her cheeks flushed a little. Seeing her like that automatically had the butterflies in my stomach fluttering like crazy, thus bringing a slight tint to my own cheeks. "It was, uh-" Blue eyes faltered and then began to look everywhere but at me.

"Brash?" I suggested with curiosity etched on my warming face. "Obtuse? Crass? Inappropriate? Wrong choice of word? Off-put-"

"Sexy." She managed to cut in before I continued until dawn, making my mouth click shut. And just like that, the cute pink flush she already had extend into a cherry red blush that spread to her ears. There was a quick beat of hearts that passed through us as that one little word sunk in.

 _Oh...mercy._

"O-oh." Came my stammered reply around the thick saliva snailing down my throat. _Sexy? Did my Snow Paw really just say that word?_ In no time at all, we were both standing there blushing like complete idiots who didn't know what to do, say, or think until the warning bell decided for us.

"W-well, I- you- we _._ _We_ should get to class." Elsa uncharacteristically stumbled away from me with a somehow _very_ attractive nervous smile twitching at her lips.

"Yeah-" My weak voice began, only to grow stronger as she got further away from me. "See you next passing period!" I actually managed to call out before she turned the corner, bypassing the boardroom because she really did want to attend her morning classes. If only for a few more days. "...Schnookums." I finished with a recognizing grin tugging at my lips. _Oh man._ I thought giddily as my grip tightened in happiness around my notebook and I found myself strutting off to class on a different kind of high I'd never been on before.

 _You're still the sexy one, my lovely._

* * *

Lunch.

"Hey." A girly voice called out before my left earbud was extracted from my ear. "Crescent." Turning on my heel, I once again came face to face with Ariel Simmons. Luckily, we weren't close enough for my lunch to get squished between us.

"You _can_ call me Anna, you know." I said instead of reacting to her touching my earbuds so freely. She had a pass because she didn't know me and I was okay with giving it to her.

"Okay, I'll try to remember that." Ariel flipped her hair over her shoulder, trying to maintain her image as she spoke to someone lower on the hierarchy scale than she. At least, that's how I surmised it still worked for some people. On the other hand, it was my understanding that all the stupid lines began to blur when the supposed 'school rebel' began dating the student council president. But that was an argument for another day. "Anyway, I wanted- what was the name of that song you were singing the other day?" Her indifference betrayed her interest and that in itself was intriguing.

We could have been good friends.

"I've sung a lot of songs since the day you're talking about. Whatever day that was." I clarified, leaning back on the short wall that cased the outside stairs and opened my lunch bag to bring out my Naked Juice. _Mighty Mango._ Regardless of flavor, Elsa referred to them all as baby food for adults and refused to drink any no matter how many times I offered.

"The day we-" Smoky blue eyes flicked to the side when a random group of students passed us to get into the building. I looked too, mainly out of curiosity. Nobody I thought was important at least, so I shrugged it off and continued to open my drink. "The day you- _I_ apologized." She looked back to me, turning sarcastic. "When _else_ have we used words and not fists?"

"You waved at me yesterday." I stated quickly after the first savory sip, but then frowned in thought. "Technically, it's _still_ a hand and no actual words were exchanged-" I could have went on with the other times since then, but she looked like she was about to forget about it altogether and I couldn't have that.

"Anna." She warned, proving me right which instantly made me ease off on the teasing.

"I do believe it was called, _Never Can Say Goodbye_ by: The _Jackson 5_." I placed my drink on the wall and pulled my other earbud out, wrapping the cord around my trusty iPod since I knew I wouldn't be listening to it for the rest of lunch. There were things to discuss with my friends and an infectious girl who needed my attention.

"Seriously?' Ariel's nose scrunched up in that snobbish way of hers. It was funny to think that _I_ had been on the end of that look so many times and now it wasn't directed at me anymore. I would be lying if I said it didn't feel good. "The _Jackson 5?_ " She genuinely sounded like she couldn't believe it.

"Hey, take it easy, Simmons." I raised my hand in a 'stop' motion. "They were able to get _your_ attention, so it couldn't be that bad, can it?" A lopsided smile that bordered on smug. It was true and the truth went a long way.

Ariel didn't want to feel the same though and scoffed incredulously. "Actually, I just wanted to hear what it was that made you act like a fool so early in the morning." She curled her lip. I figured it was habitual of her to do something like that to me and I could hardly blame her since we were still adjusting to not ripping each others' faces off being this close together. I didn't care though, because she was genuinely interested in the song.

"Still think I was on drugs?" I grinned and then took a step down once I grabbed my drink again, letting her know that she didn't have to stick around to entertain me much longer.

"It's inconclusive." She sort of returned a ghost of a smile.

"No, you should listen to it. But try the version from a girl named _Diana._ " I continued down another step. "Who knows? You might actually start dancing around to that version too." Sending her one last grin, I turned all the way around so I didn't fall the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Whatever, Anna." Ariel scoffed indignantly that time.

"Sure, Ariel." I called over my shoulder and lifted the hand still holding my juice in parting before crossing the quad to my usual lunch table.

Kida, Kristoff, Elsa, and Olaf were already sitting there. All in different stages of shock it appeared.

"What was that?" Kristoff asked first, eyebrows so far up I thought they were about to crawl off his head.

"Were you _actually_ using words and not fists?" Olaf rubbed his eyes in disbelief, making me roll mine and place my lunch next to Elsa's.

"First you nearly cheat on Elsa and then you disappear for three days and now you- you're- what the heck happened to you?" Kida's eyes deliberately searched me from head to toe as if she could pinpoint just what it was that made me almost a different person to them all. Even Elsa couldn't understand what the difference was, but I was fine with that because _I,_ myself, didn't really understand it fully either.

And maybe I never would.

I just knew that something shifted that particular day on the cliff and based on what my dad had told me two days later in the bath, I would probably find out a day, three months or even _years_ from now. There might have been a third face like the post I read earlier and had thought about all morning, but it didn't matter. I was fine with Anna and L at the moment. They were parts of my very being that the world revealed to me and even if they were only fractions of the whole, it was okay. I was only seventeen with a whole life of learning, loving, fighting, falling, growing, and many other life lessons ahead of me.

For now, I acknowledged the instances of dark and light within me, if I wanted to dig a little deeper and add to what I'd figured out thus far. I allowed myself the comfort that light had no meaning without darkness. That that particular hope that clung to me almost inexorably wasn't about to leave, because it couldn't and I didn't ever want it to.

The simple truth was that I didn't change. I just saw things differently now.

* * *

After School.

It was decided between Kida, Elsa, Olaf and I that Sen needed to be talked to. Kristoff hadn't been himself the last few days and I didn't want him continuing on like that. At first, I wasn't keen on being the main one going to talk to her (PSTD and all from Esmeralda) but when Kida said she really didn't know how to comfort Sen when she wasn't even there in the beginning, I faltered. And Olaf, when prompted, opted out too, but only because he was going to be busy prepping the stage for a local band that would be present at the carnival and he had other duties with the Drama Club. Elsa very well couldn't go with me since she'd been working her attractive backside off after lunch and Kristoff said he'd be by later because his grandpa needed him right then.

So that left it up to me whether I wanted to or not. _Great._

Of course, I didn't, _wouldn't_ trust myself going alone. Not because unknown feelings were involved this time around, but if my best friend wasn't going to come with me, I would make sure he got to hear what she had to say about it. In other words, I wasn't going completely alone. If my trusty new phone with thousands of awesome apps had anything to say about it.

Sen opened the door and pulled me into a hug that I returned before my brain could catch up with me. "Come on in." She showed off her pearly whites as she stepped aside and invited me deeper into the apartment.

"Hi, Sen." I did so with a friendly smile and went straight for the couch after placing my helmet on the coffee table beside me.

"Thirsty?" She asked once the door closed.

"Parched." I grinned. "Got anything with caffeine?" When she disappeared into the kitchen, I discretely managed to push the pad of my thumb to the screen of my phone before a massive, lumbering cluster of grey fur waddled over to stick his wet nose right on my knee. Unlike Esmeralda's ghastly cat, I could handle this huge wad of old lumpy mass. "And a hello to you too, Einstein." I greeted sweetly, but then bit back an immediate squeal when his nose slipped and grazed the inside of my thigh. _Whoa now._ "S-Sen, is your dog always this naughty?" I yelped, nearly jumping off the couch when he took a step closer.

"He probably thinks you have a treat for him." Sen called back almost nonchalantly, oblivious to my odd predicament. _Maybe I just don't have an affinity for animals!_

"And just w-where does he think I would have treats _other_ than my pockets?" My knees clamped together and I cautiously nudged his head away from my legs. " _Those_ aren't my pockets, mister." Seriously, this dog was taller than me even if he sat, so I had to be careful and who actually carried food around in their pockets?

"You'll have to excuse him." Sen _finally_ came back to tug him away from me before handing me a cup of what looked like _Mountain Dew_ with ice. "Vet says he's going blind."

"So, he uses that as an excuse to act like a perve?" I couldn't help but snicker when the poor thing lumbered away to lie on his doggie bed, panting like he ran a mile.

"Who knows?" Sen joined me a cushion away. "His name _is_ Einstein." We grinned at each other in understanding for a short moment until I decided to just come out with it.

"So, from what I hear, you haven't seen Kristoff since he told you." I stated over the brim of my cup. Sen looked a bit disheveled suddenly as she then slumped in her chair.

"It- I don't want him to think I-" She breathed out harshly and put her own cup back on the coffee table in front of us. "It was a lot to take in, I won't lie." The movie that had been playing in the background was put on mute as she then shifted on the cushion to face me.

"I'm sure it was." I took another drink, trying to think of what to say next. Was I qualified to do something like this? The last time I wanted to talk something over, it had blown up in my face and quite frankly, I wasn't even sure why we started arguing in the first place. Maybe she was trying to turn me all around? _Focus, Crescent. This isn't Esmeralda you're talking to now._

As I focused back on the present, I found Sen nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. She'd gotten a new piercing at the top of her right ear and I couldn't help but think the little arrow suited her. "I mean, I also don't want _you_ to think less of me because I can't- I'm not with him at the moment."

I cleared my throat and went over all the times I'd seen them together in my mind. They just fit so well. "Don't get me wrong," I began, placing my cup on the table too. "I _am_ mad at you because you haven't talked about it with him." Pause." But I'm also a little envious." Sitting back, I let my hands smooth out my skirt. Oh, the ridiculous perks of going straight to someone's home after school.

"Why?" Sen tilted her head in question.

"Because you now know one of his biggest secrets." I made sure to keep my eyes away from hers for fear she'd see something untoward in mine. "You might not know all of them, but at least you have a foothold somewhere in what makes him the man he is today." It was true, but in order for them to move past it, there had to be some sort of understanding and acceptance there and who exactly was I to be the one suggesting it? I was only human. One who'd had a breakdown not that long ago, yet here I was, trying to- what? Conduct a sort of couples' therapy when my own relationship was still trying to work past my own idiocy? _I'm thinking too little of myself._

Self-doubt was an ugly thing.

"Well, I mean," Sen brought my attention back. "Doesn't Elsa know some of yours?" And there was the question that made me start to chew on my lip. She did know _some_. Nothing much about L though, but she'd seen a few instances where I was unhinged a bit because I didn't want to blow off steam in the ways I used to. Such as the time at the gym, dealing with Coach and then with Amber's baby. She wasn't aware that I used to cut myself because I was unbearably ashamed of it and chose to leave it in the past. Of course that was until I went to visit my mom. Everything changed then.

Before I could say something about my pathetic secrets, Sen beat me to it and added, "I was under the clear impression that you two would have," She paused to emphasize something that made my heart skip a beat and a blush flare up under my skin. " _You know,_ by now."

"W-what?!" I gasped, feeling my face burn a little brighter. "No! I-I mean, it's not like I _don't_ want to. Because I do. _So_ very badly, but..." Among the embarrassment evident on my cheeks and heat shooting to my core, there was also a slight tingling on the inside of my bicep where almost unseen scars remained that made me calm down. "There are some things I'd like her to know about me first." _Before she fully commits to a person who couldn't handle things well in the past._

Instead of dredging all of that back up and possibly burying myself further with peeks inside of what Elsa and I did in our free time, I brought up something else."Which is what brings me back around to being mad at you."

Sen's face fell. "I know. I just...I feel undeserving of him." She admitted. "I-I mean, his dad-"

"The rapist CO and an inmate." I swallowed thickly, getting over that speed bump as fast as possible. "As awful as that is, they still have a handsome boy with a heart of gold." A small smile captured my lips because it was true. Kristoff was adopted by the mom's parents and despite his background, he turned out to be this incredible guy we all knew and loved today. "Sure, it's a little insane, but don't sell yourself short, Sven DeKnight." I placed my hand on hers and looked deep into her eyes. "He opened up to you. He's taking a chance and reaching out. Something none of us thought he'd ever do." And then my smile turned into a devious smirk. "I don't know about you, but that kinda sounds like love to me."

She spent the next minutes in complete silence while it all sunk in. Olaf had said that love was putting someone else's needs before yours and while he had no one to say it to at the moment, I admitted that he knew more about it than even I did. Kristoff had taken that step and honestly, it left me wondering what I'd really done for Elsa.

"I'm such an idiot!" Sven suddenly straightened up.

"I've been there." I muttered, feeling the nip to my gut because I'd lost track of something that I needed to find again. Or maybe I was just looking too deeply and I confused myself without really meaning to?

"I gotta go find him." When she stood up, I snapped out of my spiraling thoughts.

"T-that won't be necessary." I stopped her from leaving in her flipflops and booty shorts by pulling out my phone from the confines of my breast pocket. I made sure the call had gone through first and then turned it around to let Sen see Kristoff on the screen. Thank the Apple gods for Face-Time!

Honey-colored eyes widen in surprise. "What-"

"Can he come in?' I asked when the appropriate time passed for a person to fully analyze a picture. Video.

"He's here?!" She all but screeched in astonishment.

"Hey, who do you think you're talking to?" Hauling myself up, I walked to the door. Smug as ever while continuing to mutter on about her insulting me and trying not to step on the snoozing dog who had spilled over his tiny bed.

Sen followed after me. "Of course he can come in. But what'll you do- I-I mean, you- I wasn't trying to-"

"Hush, woman." I pressed my finger to her lips to silence her. "I," I put my phone back in m y pocket. "Am going to join my girlfriend in finishing the stupid carnival we've been planning forever on."

"That's tonight?"

"Tomorrow. It's about time, really." I chuckled before opening the door to reveal my best friend who looked torn between being nervous and downright scared. "Whenever you two are done here, you should come check it out before it gets swamped with people tomorrow." I suggested. "Obviously, you don't have to, but it's just a thought." Leaning up, I pressed a kiss to Kristoff's cheek. "Good luck." I whispered, turning back to give Sen a wink as I went on my way.

I was already a good amount of late for helping out.

* * *

The Carnival. 15:45

"That's the thing with the internet! Nobody's a freak anymore."

 _Well, this conversation went downhill._ I thought, but tried to keep my mouth shut and let them continue so I could finish handing up the last of the lanterns. _Almost done._ Just needed to hang them up and we were free for the remainder of the evening. After a near full day of work yesterday and today, the thing that started it all would come to play and it was quite the attraction. The gate had opened not twenty minutes ago and the place was already swarming with families, students, grandparents, everybody and their mother it seemed.

All in all, it was a very good turnout

"It used to be all these weird people sitting alone in the privacy of their own houses, falling in love with their TV or bowls of food, feeling all creepy and depressed-"

"Right! And now all they have to do is log on and find the same kind of TV-food-loving people and _bam_! Everything's perfectly normal. In fact, you can be really into vampires, or cannibalism, whatever, it. Doesn't. Matter. Somebody out there is going to like what you like."

"Okay." I threw my hands up before turning to look at Olaf, Kida, and Kai in disbelief. "What on earth are you guys talking about?"

"Fetishes." Olaf shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Heard of _Bronies?_ "

My nose scrunched up in distaste. "Gross and yes, but what does that have- _why_ are you talking about creepy fetishes in the first place?" I cleared my throat loudly when Elsa passed by me with an equally questionable look. Beside her, Gerda was too busy laughing to look at us or say anything else. _How loud were they talking? How long was Elsa listening? Crap. She knows I know what Bronies are._

"Hey, it was _Kai_ that brought up panty-sniffers." Kida pretended to brush something off her shoulders and then winked as said guy tripped over himself after coming down from the ladder.

"Panty- oh, _wow_ , Andersen." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling his embarrassment along with him. "Is this because you-"

"Oh, oh, did you hear about the woman who married the _Eiffel Tower?_ " Olaf chimed in once he plugged in the extension cord to the lanterns zig-zagging through the main walkway of the carnival.

"No, but I heard about the one who married a snake." Kida smirked, making me face-palm.

"The guy who married _himself!_ " Kai crossed his arms as if he discovered new life out on Mars.

"And I have somewhere _normal_ to be." I turned around and tried to leave them to themselves. But as such would have it, Kida grabbed my arm and spun me back around so I was right in the middle of them once again.

"Not until you tell us one." She waggled her eyebrows at me with Kai and Olaf also eagerly awaiting my addition.

 _Seriously._ "An eight-foot-something guy that married a woman who was five-nine." I bit out and then practically dashed away from them before they asked for more details. _There was someone married to the Eiffel Tower? How did that work?_

Shaking my head of unhelpful thoughts, I aimlessly made my way through the different kiosks and food vendors until I came to an empty bench just up a bit from the chaos. It was much too inviting to resist, so I chose to sit down and watch the crowd start to undulate around me for a bit. There were seriously people everywhere, all enjoying the games and smaller rides we'd set up along with other interesting activities that ranged from delicious greasy food to crafts that had been for sale. I'd been to previous carnivals, but the fact that _I_ had some say in the planning and setting up of a few rides, games, and lights, this time around made it a whole different experience for me.

I felt a sense of pride for all the work that went into it when I saw Kida and Olaf hovering around the baseball game. My friend sheepishly held out a tiny brown bear to Kida who exchanged it for a much larger gorilla and didn't hesitate to rub the furry black plushie in his face while he crowed in laughter. They were quite the ridiculous couple, but I could easily see the adoration they both had for one another. Regardless that she was now tugging him away to one of the vendors who was selling funnel cakes with him trying to complain about something else in the opposite direction.

He was pointing at a face-painting booth where Sen and Kristoff were getting their faces painted. I was happy for all of them. Especially the dorks with faces painted with all the colors of the wind because they _finally_ talked about Kristoff's mom and dad. As I'd predicted, he was better for it and now Sen was even more comfortable around him. So much so that I had to look elsewhere when they shared an intimate moment. Right there in the middle of everyone. _Hopeless._

A smile stuck to my lips as I let my eyes follow a random little girl sprinting across the grass with a red balloon until she let it go in her excitement and I caught none other than Ariel and Fallon once the kid disappeared into the crowd. Ariel was too busy trying to stop Fallon from feeding her what looked like a spoonful of rice. Instead, she jammed her cotton candy into the younger girl's cheek as if that would stop her. Fallon took a bite of the odd candy at the same time Ariel closed her mouth around the spoon and successfully removed the utensil from Fallon's grasp, much to her dismay. That was until they traded their food altogether and I didn't miss the way Ariel rubbed her thumb over the spot she'd pressed the cotton candy in order to sort of clean it for her. They shared a private grin.

"There you are." A sultry voice cut through my mindless thoughts, making me snap my head to the side to see the love of my life sitting right beside me.

"Hiya, _Schnookums._ " I forgot how easy it was to smile at her and to have her respond respectively with no hesitance at all. "Lookin' good." I added and then gestured to the goings on just ahead of our secluded little spot. "Oh, the carnival too. _Congratulazioni._ " A wink was passed her way that had her shaking her head at me.

" _Grazie tante, Gattina._ " Elsa gently nudged my shoulder with hers. "You're not so bad yourself."

She was one to talk! Compared to her dressed in a pearly blue sundress that was bustier on top with a flaring skirt, thin straps over alabaster shoulders, flats on her feet and thick platinum waves done up in an imperfect bun. Those cute bangs of hers hung in lazy wisps around her amazingly sculpted face...yeah I felt under dressed. What with my black _SAMCRO_ tank top, ripped shorts and red flannel shirt tied around my waist and my hair braided in pigtails with my best chucks on my feet. _What do you see in me, exactly?_ I wondered, but then dropped it when I heard a familiar rumble coming from Elsa's stomach. Even through the humdrum of the crowd I still managed to hear it like I had super hearing. Or maybe I just knew she'd be hungry because the woman had been working all morning and afternoon. It was evident, but she knew how to mask that fatigue. _Incredible._

"Want to get some fried pickles?" I asked, getting up from the bench and offering my hand to her.

" _Fried_ pickles?" She arched a partially incredulous brow, yet slid her hand into mine.

I nodded. "They're sliced dill pickles that have been battered and fried. Trust me, it's delicious." My thumb dragged along her knuckle in lazy circles as we walked right into the bustling crowd to find the nearest vendor. When we found one, I hastily placed the order and paid before Elsa could protest and as he handed me the food over the counter, Elsa already looked skeptical about it.

It was an endearing sight and I didn't hesitate to pluck one up, blow on it and then dunk it in the ranch provided. Blue eyes widened a little when I offered the pickle to her, but she didn't refuse and automatically opened her mouth to bite down on it. Only, it didn't exactly tear like she thought, so she ended up letting out a soft giggle and practically sucked my fingers into her mouth so ranch or drool didn't get everywhere else. I couldn't help but nibble on my lip like an anticipating child as she chewed experimentally. While I waited for the verdict, I ate a few of my own before nudging her in another direction in case she wanted something different to eat.

"I wasn't sure what to expect." Elsa finally said after a moment.

"And?" I prompted, dipping another one into the ranch.

"It tastes pretty good." She stated before catching my wrist and feeding my intended piece to herself.

"And here I thought you were going to say something about how you couldn't understand our country's need to fry everything." I smirked and switched hands so that my cleaner thumb swiped residual ranch from the corner of her lip. "So messy." I licked that thumb just after and had the pleasure of watching her flush slightly because of it.

"I _don't_ understand the need to fry everything." Elsa grabbed her own pickle that time.

"Simple." I licked my lips. "It's because everything tastes better that way. You can't tell me you don't enjoy fries, Elsa Mariani."

"Yes. Even though they're more oil than potato."

"And I'm willing to bet you've never dunked them in anything other than ketchup." I deliberately fed her another pickle and then veered off the path so we could get something to drink. In fact, I _did_ know that.

"What _else_ would I dip it into?" Elsa asked quizzically.

"Ranch, mayonnaise, milkshakes, you know, the works." I ordered a large cup of soda we could share, not noticing the looks of shock and slight disgust marring my Snow Paw's face until I turned back around. I had to bite back a laugh as I did so.

"M-mayonnaise?" She nearly gagged just thinking about it.

"Yeah. All the normal people do it." I stated like I knew no wrong.

"I _am_ normal." Elsa took the cup from me to take a drink.

"I can't believe you just said that." I didn't stop the chuckle that time and even welcomed the pointed jab to my ribs in turn. She went on to mutter that _I_ was the not-normal one in Italian, but before I could defend myself, someone else caught our attention and made us slow our aimless stroll through the carnival.

The guy waved us over to the game booth and then jabbed his thumb over his massive shoulder. It was Ralph Butler. "Madam President and company, why not step up and give the hammer a try?" He looked between us. "Let's find out which one of youse is stronger. Boys or pretty girls." Beside him were two other teenage boys who were grinning at us in challenge with their arms crossed over their chests. "So far _they_ have the highest scores." The wink he sent us sold his point like he'd done this his whole life. "I bet there's nothing like getting beat by the school's most talked about couple."

My eyes beheld the contraption behind him in awe. Considering _I_ was the one who picked the thing, I was more than willing to give it a go. "Ready for me to beat you, _Schnookums?_ " I blew a cocky kiss at Elsa, who dusted her hands with her own smirk at the ready.

"Keep wishing, _Love Muffin._ " She watched me hand our food over to the two boys.

After wiping my hands on my flannel, I wrapped them around the heavy mallet and pulled it up on my shoulder. "Watch and learn, Sweetheart." In one fell swoop, I then brought the whole head down onto the platform in a perfect arch. The weight bounded upwards, hitting the number Nine and Ralph let out an appreciative whistle.

"Alright, new record!" He actually looked impressed.

Off to the side, the boys looked more stunned than disappointed, but I only focused on popping my knuckles and rolling my shoulders with a certain kind of confidence that showed heavily in my grin. Elsa also looked slightly surprised and I felt my cheeks heat a little when she licked her lips and then straightened her spine in determination.

" _Bravissima._ " She all but purred, taking the mallet from me. At the brush of our fingers, I felt a bolt of electricity shoot through my entirety, leaving my knees feeling like jelly. Her own smoldering confidence and that little _smirk_ of hers were certainly going to melt me right into the pavement if I wasn't careful. _Scratch that._ I had to nearly wipe my mouth of drool when I watched her straighten in front of the platform, placing one hand high on the neck of the mallet with the other lower to the bottom. A tantalizing and elegant arch of her body managed to sling the heavy mallet down, drawing both of her hands together to create the smoothest downward fall I'd ever seen.

The weight reached up to 9.5.

" _Whoo!_ Nine and a half. New record!" Ralph looked even more impressed than I felt.

After I eventually picked my jaw off the ground, "Wh- how-?" I spluttered, nearly fainting altogether when Elsa blew her bangs out of her eyes, handing the mallet back with the money owed as well to Ralph who instantly bowed to her like a dork. _So. Sexy._

"It's all about momentum, _Gattina._ " She sauntered closer to press a quick kiss to my nose and then leaned in to whisper into my ear. "It helps when you're taller." Even though that jab warranted an immediate retaliation, I could barely function with the way her velvety voice swarmed around me like an intoxicating perfume you couldn't get enough of. I wanted nothing more than to ditch the carnival right then and there.

"Uh-" I willed my mouth to form words, lest I pull her in for a kiss she definitely needed. "Don't call me short, yadda, yadda, I want a rematch." I muttered, not denying myself a light touch to her side. If only for a moment.

Again Elsa leaned dangerously close, making my eyes flutter a bit, lips parting of their own accord, only to ask, "Cat got your tongue?" And then leaving me standing there puckering my lips in anticipation at thin air like a moron.

"Wh- hey!" I yelped when I finally noticed she was walking away from me.

"Why don't we call it best of three and play something else?" Elsa offered when I clumsily caught up to her with a pout on my face. When our eyes met that time, she gave me another secretive smirk that made my stomach dance pleasantly.

"Bring it on." I declared and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the ring toss and baseball booths.

* * *

"So he says, 'if you were a transformer, you'd be a _Hot-o-Bot_ and your name would be _Optimus Fine._ '" I couldn't stop the chuckle from leaving my mouth. Elsa was covering her mouth to stifle her own giggles as we weaved our way through the crowd, heading to the crafts section of the carnival. We both had stuffed animals in our hands thanks to both of us winning at the ring toss and the baseball game. We called it a tie after the darts, but I knew Elsa knew she had me utterly beat.

"Olaf's pretty clever." She blew out a breath.

"What about you?" I asked with a sidelong glance. "O's good, but I bet you could beat him with that beautiful nerdy brain of yours."

"I don't know about that." Elsa self-consciously pushed her hair behind her ear. _Okay, how can she be so smoldering hot one second and then completely innocent the next?_ "I'm sure you'd come up with something better than mine."

"Try me." I turned us so that we were walking toward the steps to the school. Offering her a seat first, I sidled up next to her with my hand cupping my chin and eyes batting. I was going for flirty, but I wasn't so sure I looked the part. Oh well.

"Okay." Elsa cleared her throat and then turned to me with a semi-hard look in her icy forget-me-nots. "Hey... _baby_ ," She stumbled elegantly, clearly having not done something like this before. I could have melted all over again. "O-our love is like dividing by zero. It cannot be defined."

I'm pretty sure my laugh echoed throughout the entire quad.

"Yeah, I can't beat that." Burying my face in her shoulder, I felt her leaning forward to cover her face in embarrassment with her hands, but I had nothing to feel but a sense of accomplishment and complete happiness. Seriously, _why_ did I ever consider Esmeralda? _You're a total idiot._ My mind told me and I couldn't agree more. Elsa Mariani was all I ever wanted and _that_ was what I'd lost track of.

My irrevocable loyalty to someone as amazing as her.

I'd somehow forgotten how ultimately _crazy_ I'd been about her. How I wanted _nothing_ to do with anyone else. She was amazing, gorgeous, kind, forgiving, bilingual, smart, sexy, so many other things combined and how she was it for me and I couldn't help but kick myself numerous times for getting swayed by Esmeralda so easily.

"I'm sorry." I whispered thickly, kissing her bare shoulder.

"There's nothing to apologize for, _Gattina._ " Elsa nudged me, making me tilt my head up until our eyes met.

"I've been an idiot. A selfish one." I shook my head, not willing to look away. "Elsa, you're the most important person in my life. I don't want to go another day without you knowing that I am yours and that you're mine." There was a soft pause as I reached up to caress her smooth cheek. "You're everything I ever wanted and so much more. Because of my own stupidity and utter stubborn self-righteousness, I let someone else try to move in and take your place. In turn, I managed to hurt you. To hurt the trust you had in me and I can't apologize enough to you for it, but please let me say this," Leaning back, I watched a tear roll down the side of her cheek before wiping it with my thumb. "I. Love. _You_. Elsa Mariani." It was my turn to offer myself. Even if it was just _me_. Slacker, freckles, scars and all.

Blue eyes disappeared behind closed lids that had been dashed with a light purple eye shadow to bring out her eyes even more. Tears slid down, dripping to her skirt below and for a moment, just a fraction of a second, I was falling all over again. _Those tears could go either way._ On the one hand, she could make good on what she'd said earlier about me not having to apologize and we could move on, become stronger together, but there was also the fear of the unknown. She _could_ say no. She could say that she wanted nothing more to do with me. Terminate our relationship, friendship right there. She could choose to let me go.

When was I going to hit the bottom? Perhaps I'd hit it a long time ago and just didn't know it yet.

I just knew that I was as terrified as I'd ever been in my life.

"Oh, Anna." Elsa softly said as she suddenly threw her arms around me. We could have toppled over, but I managed to steady us and shakily slid my arms around her slender waist. "I love you." She gently kissed my neck. "I hate that you learning Esmeralda was a sex addict made you sort of lose it. I don't like that she managed to find some sort of loop hole in your friendship and I especially hate that she took advantage of you like that. I am glad it's over though and while I wish her an okay marriage, I would rather have her do it without you." Another kiss to my jaw. "You're so kind, _Gattina_. Shame on anyone who thinks differently." I sniffled that time. "It's a little insane, but I've learned some from you." Our eyes met again. "I was such a different person before I met you."

"So was I." I admitted, finally breaking eye-contact. "I learned how to smother the ugly in my life, the things I did after my mom died, but it all blew up in my face those few days ago and I could still be in some sort of shock from it all. I could still be up there and waiting to come down, but I wanted you to know that I wouldn't want anybody else to help me through it. Whether we're friends or not. I love you in as many ways as that word stretches." Her response was a squeeze to my shoulders.

"And I will be there." She whispered with conviction. "I learned how to mask my true emotions at a young age." Elsa wiped my own cheeks. "My parents fought for so long and I found a way to get around it. By being numb." A small sigh escaped. "And then you came along seemingly out of nowhere and told me to let it go. That it wasn't my fault." Again, her thumbs traced under my eyes. "You became my anchor after that day, Anna. Whatever way our relationship went from that point on, I was fine as long as you were there with me." As I began to nibble on my lip, she ducked her head to keep my gaze. "I fell in love with you because of the million little things you didn't know you were doing, starting from the first time we met." She kissed my forehead. "I feel safe around you, my love. I know I can tell you anything; that I can get caught up in any one of your shenanigans and be a complete idiot, knowing you won't judge me for it. You're my best friend and I wouldn't trade you for the world on a silver platter."

That was it for me.

The dam broke and I cried into her like a child because I recalled a similar time I thought that exact same thing. _She loves me still._

And in that exact moment, there in the middle of the very carnival that started our relationship, I found didn't need anybody else. _No way._ I didn't want anyone other than her to make me feel the way I felt right then. But rest assured, I now knew what I had to lose should I ever get greedy with wanting two different things again.

Anna, L, whoever the heck I was in that moment, one thing was staggeringly clear: I was very much in love. All over again. Deep down, I didn't think there was a way that could ever make me stop loving Elsa the way I did from the beginning. She was my comfort. My haven. My home. Through failures, stupidities, ugliness, challenges, arguments, whatever else came along, I now knew Elsa accepted me. Wholly. I, too, accepted all of her and come hell or high water, I would be there for her whenever she needed. I also took comfort in the fact that she would be there for me too. No matter what, we were in it together because she was it for me.

 _If I have even the slightest idea of what love is now, it's because of you._

* * *

 _A/N: Well, I think another chapter is in store. Just to fully wrap some things up._

 _On the other hand, I apologize if this fic 'crashed and burned into the sunset' after a certain point for some of you. It was never my intention to have any sort of plot because hey, in real life we sometimes don't have every single thing figured out from exposition to resolution and, well, crap just happens. In turn that makes us react like idiots sometimes. (Or am I the only one?) Skeletons are revealed in some instances and it's hard to deal with, but eventually the dark fades into light. Some days are better than most and while I'm not in the best place of my life either, I decided to try to put Anna back to where she was before. Hope it was acceptable._

 _As for the plane that went down aforementioned? To quote Asami Sato: "They say that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing." ;) That said, hope there are survivors. If not, my condolences._

 _Thank you for reading! Stay cool. Stay tuned._

 _Tootles~_


	46. Haters Gon Hate

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"I-I can't believe you're making me do this." Elsa all but squeaked in nervousness as I situated her closest to the mic and took my spot center stage.

"I believe in you." I whispered, waiting for the song Kida dared us to sing to start with my heart thrumming as fast as a humming bird's wings. Which contradicted the small amount of Olaf's _Hooch_ he'd managed to sneak in in his back pocket. Sneaky little fiend. "Just follow my lead. I know you've heard me sing this one before."

"Anna-"

"Remember the first time we kissed?" I asked since the song hadn't started yet and turned to face Elsa. People started clapping and cheering us on, but I focused on slightly hazy topaz-colored eyes. The dim lights and spiked drinks we'd had might have aided in that smoky look, though it didn't take anything away from their hypnotic beauty. She was still the most gorgeous lady there.

"How could I forget?" She blew out a sharp breath and tucked a thick lock behind her ear, eyes breaking from mine to glance out to the crowd and probably to the tables that housed all our friends. Earlier, I'd informed her that I would dare Kida and Olaf to sing something a little more embarrassing to try to ease her discomfort, but she still wasn't eased. Although, it wasn't like we could step off now, lest we get booed out of the place like a bad player on _Guitar Hero._

I couldn't have that, so I brought my hand up to Elsa's cheek making her eyes reconnect to mine. "Well, think of this moment just like that time." I grinned. "Just you and I in the library with all the teasing and meaningfulness that lead up to our lips meeting." Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to her nose. "Sing with me, _Schookums._ " Hopefully, I was able to lend her some of my confidence.

"B-but, I've never-" She still faltered.

 _Nope. Not enough._ "Okay, you and I did _not_ ditch school on _your_ Senior ditch day to be bumps on a log. _Barbie._ " I poked her stomach tauntingly enough to see the familiar hardness she'd usually gotten after hearing that jab. _Gotcha._ "And you'll remember that I rarely back down from dares." A quick wink was sent her way, making her roll her eyes.

 _"'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.'"_

I started out after turning on my heel to face the somewhat darkened tables. Since the spotlight we were under dimmed the majority of space in front of us so that all we could really hear was cheering, I felt like I really was singing by myself. _Memories._ There were also numerous cat-calls because of the nature of the song. At that, I couldn't help but imagine the look of surprise on everyone else's face at the tables but Kida's from the song. It had been bold of her to slip that song title to the guy when we first started, but there was no way I would back down. Even if it meant singing alone. Thankfully, Elsa didn't leave me with that option, so she was there. Embarrassed to be singing such a song, but there nonetheless and I loved her all the more for it.

 _"'You got the healing that I want._  
 _Just like they say it in the song, until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.'"_

What actually brought on the whole Karaoke idea was a because of a conversation Kida and I had had the night before. It started out with her asking me if I was going to ask Elsa to Prom and when I said I wasn't sure I wanted to go, or even if _she_ wanted to because it was right around the corner, Kida all but whacked me over the head. From there, she'd asked if we'd done anything yet. Of course she confused me right off the bat and when I finally got what she meant, I felt like crawling under a rock for the next couple of weeks. _How's that any of your business?_

That was until she mentioned that life was too short. Too short to hold grudges, to try to be perfect in an imperfect world, having regrets. We were still young and dumb and would mess up a lot more in the days to come, but until then, why not spend as much time being as happy as we could? Especially now that school was practically over and Elsa was graduating in less than a week?

Kida had stuck a nerve if anything and truthfully, I'd always wanted to do Karaoke. It was only one of many other activities crossed off the flimsy bucket list we created afterwards.

 _"'Whoa. There's loving in your eyes that pulls me closer. (Oh, it pulls me closer) It's so subtle. (It's so subtle) I'm in trouble. (I'm in trouble) But I'd love to be in trouble with you,'"_

And then Elsa's low, yet incredibly sexy voice nestled itself under mine as she joined in for the beginning and the end of the next line.

 _"'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on. You got the healing that I want. Just like they say it in the song, until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.'"_

Instead of keeping hold of her own mic, Elsa placed hers back on the stand and slid next to me so we could share one. Our cheeks were so close that her beautiful face blocked out half the room and I was sure she didn't mind it whatsoever if her view was like mine. We sang on and moved together in time with the rhythm, practically swaying, bumping hips and tossing goofy looks at one another, causing the crowd to cheer all over again. She'd definitely loosened up and I couldn't help but think _oh yeah!_

 _"'You got to give it up to me. I'm screaming mercy, mercy please._  
 _Just like they say it in the song, until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.'"_

That time I turned to grace her with a wide encouraging smile that I was sure showed off my intense adoration for her, tweaked slightly by the traces of alcohol floating in my system. Overall love-sickness, indeed. _Hooch_ or not, I was completely taken with the girl standing right beside me. And the feeling only multiplied tenfold at the sound of her taking over for the next part.

 _"'And when you leave me all alone, I'm like a stray without a home._  
 _I'm like a dog without a bone. I just want you for my own._  
 _I got to have you babe.'"_

I was sure everyone else swooned along with me, but I easily countered that by wrapping a possessive hand around her delicious hip and pulling her right back to my side. A fire tore through my veins, but instead of feeling jealous of other people getting to hear her beautiful voice, I felt my heart swell. Elsa belonged to me and I to her. Nothing could rival that realization.

 _"'Whoa. There's loving in your eyes that pulls me closer (Oh, it pulls me closer)'"_

Elsa turned her head and our eyes met heatedly, topaz eyes like diamonds under the lights.

 _"'It's so subtle. (It's so subtle)'"_

We grinned at one another like we had our own secrets no one would ever know about. I reached out to caress her cheek and in turn she bopped my nose with her pointer.

 _"'I'm in trouble. (I'm in trouble.) But I'd rather be in trouble with you, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on...'"_

We finished the song in tandem to more wild cheering and applause from the crowd, Kida's apparent loudness was heard along with Olaf somewhere off to the side. While they calmed, I couldn't help but bow like a dork and then gesture to Elsa, who gave a polite wave. As soon as she left the stage to join the others at our tables, I took the mic and immediately called out Kida and Olaf. Regardless if was their turn or not.

While the already hyper couple started making their way through the numerous tables situated around the stage, I jumped off said stage on a splendid adrenaline high and high-fived them on the way back to my seat. Elsa moved over as I took it and I didn't wait to pull her in for a quick kiss before taking the proffered cup of water she held out to me. I wanted nothing more than to continue kissing her until we got kicked out, but alas, I couldn't. Not yet anyway.

"I thought we agreed to Six Flags." Gerda leaned over as the two on the stage struggled to identify the song I dared them to sing. They might have had a bit more to drink than we did, if Olaf giggling profusely at the beat of the song had anything to say about it. Kida had to ask them to restart it after joining Olaf for a moment which made me shake my head at them. _You guys are going to get thrown out._

"Yeah, who does something as lame as _Karaoke_ for Senior ditch day, anyway?" Ariel huffed before getting up to follow after Fallon when the younger whispered in her ear.

"I don't think it's that bad." Sen defended from under Kristoff's arm. They were pleasantly buzzing from the looks of it and while I was all for a good time, I figured it was time to ditch the rest of the bottle before we got caught. Or got too drunk to do anything else.

 _"'Give it to me, I'm worth it. Baby I'm worth it. Uh huh I'm worth it._  
 _Gimme gimme I'm worth it. Give it to me, I'm worth it._  
 _Baby I'm worth it. Uh huh I'm worth it._  
 _Gimme gimme I'm worth it.'"_

 _Point proven further._ I thought in nothing but amusement when Kida and Olaf finally managed to start their song. Kristoff and Sen hollered like they were at a basketball game and beside me, Elsa had to bring her hand up to stifle the giggles that escaped. Especially when they both started throwing their hands around like they were in an exaggerated rap music video. Olaf even went as far as turning his cap to the side and crouching low with his mic practically jammed into his mouth.

 _"'Okay. I tell her bring it back like she left somethin'_  
 _Bring it bring it back like she left somethin'_  
 _Uh, in the club with the lights off. What you actin' shy for?_  
 _Come and show me that you're wit it, wit it, wit it, wit it,_  
 _Stop playin' now you know I'm wit it, wit it, wit it, wit it,_  
 _What you actin' shy for?'"_

Olaf barely managed to stumble through his part, but that didn't stop them from making idiots out of themselves like I knew they would. For a straight minute, I was sure none of us at the table could breathe because we were laughing too hard. It was a classic and I was so glad that I thought to record the whole thing for later usage. Perfect blackmail material.

"H-hey, what was in that anyway?" Kai asked after we were settling down again and as he saw me tucking the nearly empty flask back in Sen's purse. She looked too and then nodded in confirmation at me, snuggling back against Kristoff just after. I swear, purses made the best smuggling transporters ever!

"Oh, Olaf's brother has this awesome mixologist in his club who goes by the name of Fergus." I explained, straightening back up so Elsa could lean against me too, if she wanted. Olaf had said Marshall gave him the flask a few weeks ago and told him to not ask for anything else until he turned eighteen. When the younger asked what was in it, Marshall told him it was a mixture that tasted like Jolly Ranchers and _man_ he wasn't wrong. The taste of alcohol was hardly present so if one wasn't careful, they would be tanked in no time, which was another good reason to put the stuff away _now_.

"Wait. As in Fergus _Abernathy?_ " Hans came back from the bar with a refill for himself. The sneaky sideburns guy managed to procure himself a fake ID and even got it cleared with the owner of the bar that he was our chaperone for the day. I couldn't help but think _that_ demeanor suited his questionable charm to a T. _He'll go far with that conman exterior._

"Yeah." I nodded. "People call him Fergie (which he hates) but his taste in a variety of drinks is pretty awesome and I even hear he's got his own scotch distillery just outside of Arendelle." I wrapped my arm around Elsa's waist once more, loving the way she settled closer to me with a small, content sigh. Hans looked impressed that I knew something like that while the others looked intrigued further.

"How exactly are you guys _not_ friends with Merida?" Kai asked next.

"She never seemed interested." I shrugged a shoulder. "Besides, she looks perfectly happy where she is and it's not like _we're_ the most interesting people at Arendelle High."

"Two of you _are_ dating Seniors." Gerda chimed in.

"Yeah, us and a few others." I brought my cup up to take another drink, but scrunched my nose up at the taste of heavy sweetness, like I drank a watermelon candy that should have been hard to begin with so it didn't assault my poor mouth. _Must have been Olaf or Kida's._

"Like that Fallon girl?" Hans nodded to where Ariel and Fallon were waiting outside the bathrooms. It looked like they'd be there for awhile thanks to the line. _Yikes._ "They're an unlikely couple."

"Quiet, Marsden." I shot back. "Unless you want to set Ariel off before we even _get_ to Six Flags. But, I bet she could kick your butt pretty good." A cocky smirk etched to my lips.

"What changed your opinion about her, anyway?" Gerda got up to sit between Kristoff and I. "I seem to recall you fancying a root canal over going to a party she'd been the host of."

"Not to mention you two have been at each other's throats all year." Kristoff finally commented. "Even _I_ don't understand the change." He went on to mutter about the fight we had, me breaking her nose, her cussing me out, bullying Elsa, and a good list of other things that made me cringe a bit. _That's a lot._

But all the same, I straightened up a little more to give them a serious look. "Life's too short." As that sunk in, I added. "And it's high school, not forever. I mean, once we graduate, none of the things we fought about would matter and if it did, we would probably just look like fools who couldn't let go of the past." An immediate bark of a laugh left my throat. "Just think of life after Senior year like _Taylor Swift's_ song: _Mean_ if you're a jerk now."

"I can _not_ believe you just said that." Suddenly, Sen was in my face with the most surprised expression I'd seen from her, hands gripping the front of my shirt like a life-line. "I. Love. _Taylor!_ " She all but squealed. I tried not to squirm away from her scary grip on my shirt.

"Seriously?" Hans raised his brows incredulously at her.

"I don't think she's all that bad." Gerda put in, gaining a 'thank you' gesture from Sen.

"No? She made her career writing about all her ex-boyfriends." Kai muttered, unamused.

"Hey, _why you gotta be so mean?_ You all know she'll _never go out of style._ " Kristoff grinned, making Hans and Kai groan before shooting him mock disgusted faces.

"And _that's_ why I love you." Sen left me to all but jump into his lap with a big kiss to his cheek with him saying he had no choice but to listen to Taylor when they were together. _So sweet._

"Gross." Hans said with a snicker, earning a glare from Kristoff and Sen.

"Just stop!" Kai covered his eyes while Gerda and Elsa chuckled at them all.

"Eh, what can you do?" I raised my hands indifferently, gaining their attention again along with Elsa as she leaned away to face me correctly. "Players gonna play, haters gonna hate, but you just gotta shake it off." The love of my life's eyes widened in disbelief.

" _NO!_ " Kai and Hans shouted in horror, covering their ears.

"Heartbreakers gonna break and fakers gonna fake," Sen continued while Gerda, _Kristoff_ and I joined in.

"' _Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. I shake it off, I shake it off!"_

"Elsa, get a hold of your girl!" Hans pleaded after half the place wanted to join in on our little sing-off too.

As if all that wasn't enough, on the stage, Kida and Olaf had stopped singing once they caught on to what the crowd was murmuring about. Only to protest over their ongoing song until the one they actually wanted to sing came up on the speakers. The crowd cheered all over again while Kai and Hans booed as loud as they could along with a few other people. The rest of us broke off in laughter. _What have we done?_ However, it didn't stop Gerda and Sen from singing out after they stopped laughing too.

After looking into familiar arctic blues, I lifted my nose indignantly. "Don't look at me like that, Snow Paw. You know you want to sing too." A wink was passed her way and in the middle of people shouting out, I noticed Ariel making her way from the bar to the line again. _Speaking of..._ "I've got an idea to involve those two." I had to lean almost all the way in to whisper to Elsa before turning her chin to me so I could press another kiss to her lips. Just as I pulled back to catch up to Ariel, her hand came up to stop me and she initiated a more meaningful kiss that lasted a bit longer, leaving my cheeks warm with my head swimming a lot more pleasantly than before as I made my way from the tables. _Whoo! Forget Alcohol. I could get drunk on my baby alone.  
_

"Okay, Crescent. You said you'd pay for tickets for us and so far, I don't see us heading to Six Flags." Ariel was still leaned up against the wall by the time I stumbled happily next to her. One look at me and she basically forgot what she'd just said. "You know, if _this_ is what love looks like," She motioned to my entirety with an unpleasant curl of her lips. "I don't think I want it."

"There's a girl in there who thinks differently." I jerked my chin toward the bathrooms. "And it's not so bad, Simmons. It's inevitable if you really-"

"Ariel."

"Huh?" I squinted at her, quickly losing track of what I was actually about to say.

"Ariel's fine." She kept her eyes away from me.

"Okay." I cleared my throat. "Then you call me Anna. Not 'hey,' 'you,' or ' _Crescent_.' Deal?"

"Sure. Anna." She turned when Fallon reappeared with one of the biggest smiles I'd seen on her face yet.

"Hey." Said girl looked between us, suddenly turning a little nervous. My guess was that Ariel hadn't really told her that we were straight now and I was okay with that. What better way to let the younger one know than to prove it right there?

"I've got a song for you two to sing." I smirked, holding a hand up to stop the protests already spilling out of Ariel's mouth. When she stopped, I gestured to our table where Olaf and Kida were being granted fervent back pats and hair tussles from the Seniors and Kristoff. "Everyone over there already sang something and that was the deal before we went to Six Flags. You are the only two left."

"I can't go up there." Ariel snapped, making Fallon hesitantly reach up to tug on her sleeve like she'd forgotten she was there. "Besides, it looks like Ramsey and that crazy girl took the stage by storm."

"Forget them." Swiping the air behind me as if I could wipe away the residual lyrics still floating around. "I bet you've got a nice voice." I prodded and then placed my hand on Fallon's shoulder. "Do it for this girl here. Let her see you let go of your strict background for once. I mean, you haven't even drank anything." That last part was _not_ a big deal and the only reason I participated in it was because Elsa was so nervous in the first place. _Liquid Courage. Heh._

"You don't even know me." Ariel narrowed her eyes at me.

"I don't have to." I backed up a bit, crooking my pointer at them to hopefully get them to follow me back to the table. "Now, I'm not calling you a stick in the mud or anything, but-"

"I am _not_ a stick in the mud." Ocean blue eyes lit right up in determination and I inwardly grinned before turning all the way around to go back to the table. I didn't hesitate to pull Olaf's cup away from him so I could hold it out to the two, ignoring his immediate whining behind me.

When they both paused, my eyes dropped to the cup. "Y-you don't have to, though! I don't want to peer pressure you now." I retracted my hand, clearing my throat awkwardly. Seriously, what was I thinking? "Anyway, I thought a good song for you two to sing would be," I leaned in to whisper the song to Fallon, who beamed back at me like I'd told her a puppy was waiting outside for her.

"I love that song." Fallon all but bounced in place while Ariel looked skeptical. Maybe even a little troubled.

"I _know_ that song." Ariel sighed heavily and snatched the cup from me to take a large gulp. "So when we're done we can leave?"

"Precisely." I held my hand out for the cup only to have her stare at me for a short confused moment and then to raise her own hand and bring it back down to smack mine in a hard enough low-five to make at least eight pairs of eyes snap back to us to make sure we weren't fighting or anything. My face instantly lit up in excitement because that was the last thing I'd expected from her and it didn't matter if she knew what she was doing or not. "Shoot, I'll take that too!" I chortled and then actually took the cup back from her. "Now get up there. But remember to start out first and then Fallon next-"

"Okay _mom._ " Ariel sneered at me, but I managed to catch an instance of a grin that reached her eyes. It was one facial twitch that told me she was genuine and actually ready to sing something. Or it could have been the song itself because it was true? I would probably squeal in delight if it was, but she didn't need to see that. They were just so... _cute_ together. And they'd definitely come a long way from horrid slushy facials and private, somewhat damaging love. Weirdos. The lot of us.

"Well, color me impressed!" Hans stood up to slip his arm around my shoulder as the two made their way up to the stage, holding their hands over the tables they passed. "Didn't think Simmons would get caught dead up there."

"And _I_ didn't think you'd pull off a _Celine Dion_ song. Props to you, Han Solo." I jerked my elbow into his ribs and ducked away from him when he grunted. "But we've all been proven wrong before." I thrusted my fist triumphantly into the air in much the same way Hans ended his song, making him shake his head in embarrassment.

"You can't blame me for getting into it." He muttered, turning us back around so we could sit down again. I couldn't help agree with him though. _Such emotion._ It was so unlike him to sing such a song and to say it was amazing would be a sorry understatement. (I'd recorded him too.) That time, Elsa was the one that slid her arm around my waist possessively since she'd seen what he'd done earlier. In no time at all, my stomach was filled with butterflies and a dopey smile spread across my lips. _The things she does to me._ I kissed her cheek in return just as the strings of the first part of the song started.

 _"'I don't know, it's just something about ya. Got me feeling like I can't be without ya._  
 _Anytime someone mention your name, I be feeling as if I'm around ya._  
 _Ain't no words to describe you, baby. All I know is that you take me high._  
 _Can you tell you drive me crazy?_  
 _Cause I can't get you out my mind.'"_

We still cheered them on, sadly just not as loud as Kida and Olaf. Rounds of water were ordered right after we forced the two brazen ones to sit down, but it was just so awesome to see Ariel and Fallon up there, unashamed. Singing together. A cute, catchy song, if I might add.

 _"'Think of you when I'm going to bed. When I wake up, think of you again._  
 _You are my homie, lover and friend._  
 _Exactly why you light me up in side, like the fourth of July._  
 _Whenever you're around, I always seem to smile._  
 _And people ask me how_  
 _We'll you're the reason why I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower.'"_

Fallon finished beautifully and we couldn't help but sing along to the chorus with them.

 _"'La da di, la da da, la da daaa._  
 _Singing in the shower._  
 _La da di, la da da, la da daaa_  
 _Singing in the shower...'"_

* * *

Six Flags.

"So. What do you think, Elsa?" I leaned over the table, deliberately messing up the papers she'd had set up there. She paid it no mind and kept the one neat paper she was working on away from my prying eyes.

"About?" Arctic blues met teal quizzically.

"You wanna go _steady_?" I grinned.

Elsa then sat back to exhale heavily like she was having a dilemma and even brought her fingers up to rub her forehead. "My mom says you're going to lead me down the wrong path."

 _What a ridiculous answer!_ Though, it wasn't far from the truth, considering Letti's protectiveness of her. Still, the response was entertaining enough to make me bite back a snicker."Alright, so just don't tell her." My hand reached for hers as I all but spread across the top of her chosen table to waggle my brows deviously at her.

There was a short pause where I kept her gaze. "Okay." Elsa brought our hands to her chin. "But I'm a _good_ girl." She purred, letting her usually soft accent become nothing short of a hardcore Jersey accent like we were smack dab in the middle of an episode of _Jersey Shore_. "Everythin's _gotta_ be _ov-uh_ my _sweat-uh._ " She even popped the gum she was chewing obnoxiously.

I swear, I could have rolled right off the table in gut-wrenching laughter, but chose to fix her with an impish smirk. "I can do that." Before joining her in a fit of giggles that easily grew into cramps in the stomach and a shortage of air to our lungs because of the utter ridiculousness of it all.

"Okay, you are _not_ working on school work here!" Kida plopped next to Elsa, who immediately skooched further away because the newcomer was soaked from head to toe, having been immersed in water slides since we got there. "Let me-" She clumsily tried to reach for the paper Elsa was hiding, but before she could get any closer, I maneuvered myself over the table and flopped on top of her until she was squished under me on the ground.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law- I forget the rest." I readjusted myself into a more comfortable sitting position that allowed me to check my nails while Kida squirmed around under me, complaining that a cigarette butt was too close for comfort.

" _Bleh!_ Why is she working, anyway? I thought school was over for her." Kida whined, still a little out of it from Karaoke earlier.

"Valedictorian speech, genius." I tapped on her head, making Elsa snap her eyes to me too. "It's not going to write itself." I added.

"Wait. For serious?" Kida raised herself a bit to look at Elsa and then arched to grin goofily at me. "Well _done_ Crescent! Got yourself a fine, smart girl here."

A snort left my nose. "I'm aware. But don't you have somewhere else to be?" I asked, not bothering to move until she decided on that and when she suddenly struggled harder, I let her go and watched her join Olaf in line once again.

"She's right, though." Elsa sighed. I looked back to see her frowning at her paper. "I should focus on having fun right now."

"You mean writing speeches isn't fun for you?" I asked around a smirk. When blue eyes cut to mine, I instantly reached out to snatch the paper from her so I could read what she'd written so far. "What are you worried about? This is good." Leaning over to kiss her cheek tenderly before I settled next to her. "But instead of saying something like _lost in a maze_ , why don't you add something more...or _less_ deliberate?"

"Like what?" Elsa kept her eyes on the scribbles where I brought the pencil to maybe erase some words to put my own in.

"Well, how about you put some _Hogwarts_ in there- I got it!" Snapping my fingers, I didn't notice a creamy hand inching toward my leg until it settled on my knee. At first, I paid little attention because I was implementing the 'changing staircases' in Elsa's speech and then those long fingers reached inward. My hand slipped at the same time I felt her place the rest of her own hand just on the inside of my mid-thigh, elegant thumb still angled toward my knee while her fingers dipped below to my hammy and _sweet Odin_ what was she doing?!

"I read somewhere that this was supposed to make you _melt._ " Elsa's sultry voice presented itself to my ear, causing a torrent of butterflies to flutter through my stomach. With her hand where it was and my head suddenly swimming, body wanting _more_...yeah.

"Gone, babe." I all but groaned. "And where exactly do you think we are?" Not that I minded. No way. After everything that had happened with Esmeralda and whatnot, it finally felt like some things were going back to normal. One of those things was the touches and kisses we shared. So much so, that I wanted nothing more than to steal her away, ditch Six Flags altogether, and spend the rest of the evening with her in my arms. I wanted to be alone with my Snow Paw before her year ended for her.

"Then I say we get in line somewhere." Elsa playfully nipped my cheek before retracting her hand so she could gather her paper and trash back up. My jaw dropped at the seemingly innocent suggestion that rolled right off her tongue, but I barely had any time to think about it because she'd pulled me up and lead me in the opposite direction of the water slides.

* * *

"I _do_ believe I told you I'm afraid of heights, right?" My eyes beheld the monstrosity that was a Ferris wheel. Beside me, Elsa released a soft giggle and slid her hand down my forearm to link our fingers. The simple movement caused a nice chill to run up my spine.

"That doesn't seem to be a problem when you stay over." She whispered.

"Well, that's because we aren't _moving_." I frowned, but then felt a more deliberate chill shoot through my body in the same instant. "I- that- I didn't mean it like that!" I yelped.

"Like what?" Blue eyes flickered somewhat mischievously, making me nibble on my lip.

"N-never mind." I ground out, trying to get away from thoughts stationed in the gutter and instead focusing on the line that was dwindling down. "Of all the awesome rides, in all Six Flags, in all of Arendelle county, you choose this one." I snickered, mimicking none other than _Rick Blaine._ Without the sudden ennui of seeing _Ilsa_ again, that is.

" _Mi accendi come una luce."_ Came Elsa's sexy voice once more as I felt her moist breath catch my ear and by the time I jerked my head around to gape in shock at her, the guy managing the gate came up to examine our wrists for passes. When he gave us the all clear, I was pulled in to the empty car in a daze. Until I sat down, of course.

"Did you know that the Ferris wheel is named after a guy named George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.?"

"I didn't know that."

"He invented one for the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 for _amusement_ purposes. The wheel itself has a diameter of 250 feet, a circumference of 825 feet." The doors closed and locked once we settled. My heart began to pound. "T-the maximum height is usually about 260 feet and it's powered by two 1000 horsepower reversible engines. 36 cars that hold a total of 60 people."

"Anna, you're rambling. But thank you for the history lesson."

I had to force out a laugh. "Is it too late to get off?" By the time I asked, we were already hanging three cars away from the port we'd stepped off. "Crud. How'd I let you bring me on here?" I brought my hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. _Seriously? Is this how you feel when I do it to you?_

Adrenaline instantly began pulsing through my veins, but really just manifested as a lump in my throat. Like my poor heart had leapt up there, ready to walk the plank. It didn't help when the ride, itself, started going. The resistance to gravity built up against my body until I couldn't move. I vaguely felt Elsa pressing next to me since I was too busy trying _not_ to lose it when we were a good way off the ground below. _You're okay, Anna. You're okay. Think of Elsa. Puppies. Who you're gonna vote for. Anything else but the deathly distance of you and unforgiving pavement!_

"Look at me, _Gattina._ " Elsa's hand came up to cup my cheek, ever so slowly turning me to face her. "Hi." Blue eyes smiled reassuringly at me.

" _Bonjour._ " I managed. "You ever think some of these rides resemble mythical creatures?" My mouth ran away from me again. "Like these beasts are carrying off their screaming passengers like sacrificial virgins? Even the sounds of their engines makes me think of a fire-breathing dragon with smoke coming out of its nostrils."

" _Sei così carina._ " Elsa couldn't help but giggle at me. "I am sorry though." She kissed my cheek. "I didn't know how scared you'd get."

My pathetic ego ruffled its feathers at that and caused me to fix her with a semi-cool grin that hopefully helped me save some face. "Well, Ferris wheels are supposed to be romantic, right? Let's just pretend that _I_ thought to bring you on one first and call it even."

"Deal, _love muffin._ " She smiled more genuinely at me before leaning in to press a lingering kiss to my lips. I really wanted to get caught up in that kiss, but something stopped me and made me ask a question I'd been thinking of for a few days now.

"Not that I'm complaining. At. All." Pulling away slightly, I opened my eyes to stormy arctic blues. "But what's with the flirting?" An impish grin tugged at my lips. "The subtle dirty talk?"

Blue eyes widened in surprise."I-"

"I _know_ what you said to me down there, Miss Mariani." My hand came up to gently squeeze her creamy cheek that had been tinted a light pink. "If I knew quoting _Rick Blaine_ to you would make you feel that way, I would have done it a long time ago." Granted, I hadn't quoted him exactly, but it was still enough for Elsa to catch on, so I hadn't done too bad. Instead of answering me right away, Elsa looked out the window for a few quiet moments.

"I'm going to miss you." She whispered and then turned to bring her eyes back to me. "I know we still have the summer, but it kind of makes me sad that we didn't get to act like that in school."

"You were busy." I smiled to soften the blow. "I understand and I would be lying if I said I didn't think of your reputation since our first kiss. Even before that, I figured people would already try to ruin you if they learned I was hanging around you."

"It was ridiculous." She huffed. " _Is_."

"And it's in the past." I nuzzled the tip of my nose against hers. "There's nothing we can do about _that_ , but for now we can have some fun." My smile turned devilish, making her face twist in slight confusion at the last second. I loved double-meanings sometimes.

"Wait, you don't me- mean-" The words deflated on her tongue as I slid closer, ignoring the precarious view out there so I could place a hand on her knee to be as close as possible.

"Hm? Did you say something?" I murmured, letting my nose touch her shoulder for a brief second before slowly scaling along her exquisite collarbones to her slender neck while my hand made it's own way up her thigh. At first, I wasn't sure why Elsa had chosen to wear a _skirt_ on her ditch day, but some 100 feet in the air with her emanating such a tantalizing heat where my hand was, I was suddenly glad she chose to.

" _Anna_." Elsa's throat bobbed against my lips and I didn't think twice to trail them up to her ear. My hand then began to slide back down towards her knee and I brought my eyes up to meet her gaze.

"Allow me to repay you for all the flirting you've done." A nip to her chin and a shift of her thigh as she swallowed thickly.

"B-by teasing me?" She partly chuckled, but pulled her lip between her teeth when my fingers began tracing up the inside of her thigh, only stopping because I got so high that I met her other leg before inching back down. _Gods,_ I had no idea how hot she could get. I wouldn't push it though. This was as much as I'd touched her since the few times we'd made out before and if it was too much this time around, I would back off. I didn't want to force, or make her uncomfortable because -cripes- we _were_ in a Ferris wheel after all! _You're a genius._

But then, I saw the love of my life's eyebrows converge with a clear, desperate request to continue. My hand instantly started back up. Again, I met her other leg, but I wasn't about to push my hand between her thighs. No matter how much it looked like she wanted me to right then. I needed a more sure consent, unless Elsa opened herself up for it and _man alive_ I sort of wished she would. Maybe it was just my _libido_ talking. Maybe L was trying to take over and- _no. That's settled. Don't bring up something you've already come to terms with. It's settled._

Sapphire-colored eyes slid back and forth between my hand and my face and as much as it tortured me, I _liked_ that conflict. The underlying innocence in her hesitation, like it wasn't a normal thing for her to do either. Because it wasn't. We'd never done anything like this, but she was considering it for _me._ Like _I_ was an exception and that thought alone made my heart stutter. L was nowhere to be seen _now_. _I_ was who Elsa wanted at the moment and I'd be damned if something from my past came back to steal it from me.

Elsa's full lips crashing to mine as she maneuvered my hand upward only solidified that last thought.

Every ascent after that first one from the Ferris wheel left me elated that I had survived the previous death-defying fall. _Elsa._ When another nerve-wracking climb failed to follow the last exhilarating descent and the ride was over, I knew I was hooked. _Elsa, Elsa, Elsa._ Physically and emotionally drained, we followed our fellow passengers down the clanging metal steps to reach the safety of former footing. I had been spared, but only to have the chance to ride again. I wouldn't ever see the things the same way again.

We shared a secret grin as we darted through the crowds to get some snow cones to cool off.

* * *

The Next Day. 20:34.

"Can I see it?" I asked, not bothering to look away from the white binding, regardless that lights flashed and highlighted the white in colors ranging from red to blue.

"Why do you want to?" He narrowed his eyes at me and turned to the left, trying to deter me.

"It's not like anybody's around." I couldn't help but smirk seeing him basically cower away from me. He was like a completely different man. _Guess that happens when you get shot._

"Shouldn't you be out there dancing?" Coach grumbled. "Get away from me. You're scaring people away from the punch table."

"Afraid I'll spike it? Or that I'm only here to distract you while someone else does it?" I leaned against the table, making sure not to get anything on my dress.

"You wouldn't." Again, he frowned at me.

"There you are!" On cue, Kida popped out from behind him and began trying to tug me away. "C'mon, I heard they're about to crown the next King and Queen!" That was a lie. When I let her walk me back a few steps, I brought up my arms in a sorry-not-sorry gesture and caused Coach to practically dive into the bowl to make sure I hadn't actually spiked it. To his own surprise, I did no such thing and left him looking like a douche to the students waiting for a drink.

Just because he'd apologized for treating me badly all this time and me forgiving him didn't mean we couldn't stop messing around with one another.

"Look, I know this is Elsa's prom and all, but why isn't she here?" Kida asked, leading me through the crowd to the opposite side of the gym where Olaf, Sen and Kristoff were laughing about something.

"I told you guys you didn't have to come." I shrugged, barely managing to _not_ wobble around in my heels like a newborn deer. I managed to get one of those really girly dresses that one shouldn't be dancing around in, my hair was done up as elegantly as it had ever been, pictures were taken and corsages were given appropriately this time. All for her. "We still have ours to go to next year." I continued. "I just wanted to be there for her."

"Yeah." Kida nodded and then looked around dejectedly. "It's just not the same as the Formal." When she slumped into a chair she added, "More like Farewell now."

"That's because the DJ sucks this time around!" Olaf pointed to the so-called _DJ Diss-spinner_ who didn't seem to know what he was doing. "I should call Stu." He grumbled when a new Dub-step started.

"I think he thinks he's the next _Skrillex._ " Kristoff added.

"I think even _S_ _krillex_ would get more people on the dance floor than him." Sen sighed and then turned to me with a grin. "You should have invited Elsa to my school."

"Or _you_ could have gone there." I playfully shot back and then reached for her hand. "No really, I'm _glad_ you guys are here. I don't know what I would have done by myself." Seeing as Elsa had last-minute things to take care of. Like making sure the votes weren't messed with for the coronation later. _Incompetent members and all._

"You would have recruited the _Glee_ _Club_ to take his place." Kida jutted her lip to the table. "I'm sure even _they_ have a better repertoire."

I was about to tell her to watch it when someone else beat me to it. "Like _I Wanna See Your Peacock?_ " Out of nowhere, Tiana plopped herself next to me with a huff.

" _Anything_ sounds better!" Olaf wailed, making me raise a hand to stop him.

"No! Anything but that song." I couldn't stop the laugh erupting from my throat along with Sen and even Kristoff.

"What's so funny?" Kida looked between us.

"You have to see the movie to know." Sen leaned over to tell her which movie it was while I turned to Tiana with a curious look.

"Would they be up for it? The Glee Club, I mean." I emphasized. "I'm sure we can steal the platform from that DJ- who _wasn't_ approved by Elsa or I in the first place by the way!" My need to clear that up made the others nod in affirmation. In truth, Hans had managed to cut a deal with the guy since he'd ripped us off before. In a way, I couldn't help but think he'd kind of done the same thing as I did with Stuart. It was just that the guy he hired (for free) didn't know what good music was if it came to slap him in the face.

"Give me ten minutes to round them up." Tiana sat up so fast, I thought the chair was going to give way. "I am _not_ going out with the lamest Prom ever."

When she left, I sent the others a determined look. "Let's save the Prom!" I raised my fist, making them follow suit and cheer.

Twenty minutes later, we gave _DJ Diss-spinner_ the boot and set up the platform with mics for the members of _Glee_ that were actually there. They were troopers and more than willing to finish up the Prom, seeing as they were ranked as Champions as of the week before. _How fitting._ I stood back and marveled at the group of students who filled up the floor as soon as the first song started; Naveen starting them out with Tiana on his left side.

 _'Oh, don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me._  
 _I said 'you're holding back'._  
 _She said, 'shut up and dance with me.'_  
 _This woman is my destiny.'_

At that he turned to take Tiana's hand and lead her through a spin as she smiled widely back at him, joining in when she deemed appropriate.

 _'We were victims of the night._  
 _The chemical, physical, krytonite._  
 _Helpless to the bass and the fading light._  
 _Oh we were bound to get together._  
 _Bound to get together.'_

 _'She took my arm.'_

Just then, I felt myself being pulled away from my spot.

 _'I don't know how it happened._  
 _We took the floor and she said,'_

Plush lips met mine in an instant, leaving me slightly light-headed and more than a little loose on my feet when I opened my eyes to shining topaz pools. A smile appeared on my face as fast as lightening before Elsa expertly spun me around

 _'Deep in her eyes, I think I see the future. I realize this is my last chance...'_

Even though we'd shopped a few weeks prior, it all still felt a little rushed. Definitely not as planned out as the Formal, but it didn't matter. It all didn't matter when I saw Elsa's dress a few hours ago. _Everything_ became irrelevant then.

A lacy Queen Anne neckline, the color of her eyes, that plunged into a snug, shimmery bodice with sequin straps of azure, revealing a delicious amount of creamy cleavage. It was floor length and easily clung to the curves I hadn't stopped noticing since the first time I felt them. All in all, it was full of magnificent shades of blue that melded together to make it look like her dress was the epitome of ice. Like she'd _made_ it herself and the way it fit her body made me want to cry in unworthiness. She was beautiful. A marvel. Ravishing. No doubt about it.

Not only that, but her gorgeously thick hair had been braided and looped, twirling around her head like an intricate crown. Her _everything_ looked grown up and I could hardly believe this was the same girl who'd been flirting and teasing me heavily the last few days. The one I called the _love of my life._ The one who loved _me_. _Me._ I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"I don't deserve you." I muttered self-consciously into her shoulder.

" _Stai zitta._ " Elsa lifted my head to press another sweet kiss to my lips. " _Sei Bellisima._ " A kiss to the small scar on my nose. " _Tu sei l'unica per me._ " One to my forehead. _"Sei tutto per me._ " Pulling back, she granted me with an earnest, telling smile that melted my heart and let the first tear fall from my eyes. "I love you, Anna Crescent."

" _Sei la mia vita,_ Elsa Mariani." I brought my hand up to wipe my nose with a wet chuckle. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

" _Per sempre._ " She ran her thumbs under my eyes before swooping in for another kiss, ignoring the people around us because it was just us.

"Forever." I murmured against her lips.

 _'...I wanna thrill you like Michael._  
 _I wanna kiss you like Prince._  
 _Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye._  
 _Like Hathaway, write a song for you like this...'_

In the background, the Glee Club went on to another song that made us break apart with love-struck smiles on our faces. It was a good thing we stopped too because Kida, Olaf, Sen and Kristoff all chose that exact time to come and shower us with their goofiness.

Sometime later, we ran into Ariel and Fallon and didn't hesitate to drag them on the dance floor with us until the next King and Queen were announced. _Thankfully_ , I didn't win. I heard from the gossip vine that I was actually nominated, but the title went to some other junior named Jane something-or-other. (I'd never seen the girl around.) As for the King, we were all a little surprised, yet not so much that it went to Olaf.

Now I _could_ have been seeing things, but I swore that when they took to the floor for their dance, Kida simmered with something like jealousy. But I couldn't be too sure because that was the same time Elsa's hand began playing with mine, drawing my attention back to her for the rest of the night.

For the rest of my life.

* * *

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Especially platform guests, family, friends and of course, my fellow graduates. Today is an exciting day. Today I am going to give you a speech.  
Now, for those who have no idea who I am, my name is Elsa. We went to high school together. And I'm here today to reflect on the past years of our high school, predict our bright futures, and hopefully reduce you all to tears." People chuckled at a few things already said. It was a good thing that weather permitted the ceremony to be held on the field rather than in the stuffy gymnasium.

"I would like to start by saying how _honored_ I am to be standing here talking to you and most importantly, for you all to be listening to me." A small grin that began to strengthen when the students seemed to be receiving the giggling points they were supposed to. "So, I'd like to start by giving everyone, including myself, a round of applause for being here today. The world we live in is plagued with dangers. Ebola, Isis, Global Warming, _acne._ " At that, the crowd had no choice but to snicker. "Despite all the odds, we _still_ managed to graduate, so let's give it up!" Cheers came from all around, even from families sitting on the bleachers opposite the stage as she grinned.

"I'm not going to feed you the _Hallmark_ version of the valedictory address. You know, the one that goes something like: As I look out there, I see future pioneers of technology, lawyers and surgeons..." A mock you-tried smile. "Don't get your hopes up. No. It's cruel to give you such high hopes because we're all going to be broke students for the next 16 years, so get used to it." More chuckles escaped like steam from a pipe.

"Having high school come to an end is a bit surreal. It concisely ends, for what has been, for most of us, 3,6, and for some of us, 12 years of education at Arendelle.  
Throughout the years we have created special bonds with the physical campus, the teaching staff, and undoubtedly each other. Admittedly, when I began writing this, it was difficult to encapsulate just what Arendelle had done for me. Apart from offering a place to go and worship Mr. Weselton everyday." There was a lot more laughs that time around while other students pointed at said man and hollered.

"We all know the safe, warm, familiar feel of our Arendelle sweaters. You know, 40% nylon, 60% cotton and pre-washed in the tears of school children..." The last part had taken a few people off guard, but once the humor settled in, more chuckles and laughs erupted from the students sitting just below the stage and from people behind them. "For a long time now, this has been our identity. (For others, the blazer, but that's besides the point because they're only really worn in the winter months when nothing counts.)" A smile. "Back to the sweaters. They were something that identified us merely by appearance. I, myself, grew fond of the uniform because, personally I'm sick and tired of being out dressed by the overly stylish _Ariel Simmons._ " Ocean blue eyes widened in surprise when cerulean irises found hers right in the middle of everyone. The wink that followed caused a light flush to capture the girl's cheeks before she looked away when students around her laughed good-naturedly at her.

"Although the scratchy, wool uniform made it seem as though we were all the same, it enabled us to have a certain unity. A togetherness. It was in those clothes that I learned math, chemistry, _most_ of English." More snickers. "Mr. Skomba has a very soft voice; it's not my fault." A shrug of the shoulders made already giddy grins expand. "However, this stylish ensemble has served a larger purpose than just covering tattoos all these years, it has become a constant in all of our lives. Something that nobody will physically miss, but the familiarity and security we will all wish to get back."

"So, when I was looking back at the times I went to Arendelle, between awkward haircuts and everyone having braces at some point, it was the only thing that was consistent. So, when we finally get our diplomas and we take off our sweaters for the very last time, we aren't just setting it by the highly fashionable outer wear, we say goodbye to years of memories and experiences we've had. In disregard, I am not ashamed to admit that I'm going to miss the _uniform_ , but most importantly, all the people that I've met in it." Intent arctic blues swept across the numerous students.

"Now, here we are. _Done_ with high school. To quote Charles Dickens: _'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'_ But now we are through with the stressful days of AP, SAT and ACT testing. We've hosted another successful Carnival this year and from other activities some clubs got to do alongside us, we were able to raise a good amount of money for different scholarships. We raised the AYP and set the bar for the upcoming classes, so I say good job, you all." More cheers and a sense of accomplishment flourished over the yellow and blue shiny graduation gowns.

"When I look out at this field today, I'm surprised that the staff of _Starbucks_ actually isn't here. I'm sure the manager will surely be sad to see his best customers go." That probably got more laughs and jabs than intended, seeing as a few girls sneered when teased. "What I do see are the smiles of good people that have grown up with me through the...truly _awkward_ beginnings of Freshmen year when we got lost in those halls like they were the changing stair cases of _Hogwarts._ " More appreciative smiles were cast. "It is with this sight that I now speak directly to you, my fellow graduates."

"There are 76 of us graduating today. I feel as though I barely know some of you and that's something I regret. I also regret knowing a little too much about some of you. No further details will be voiced so, _Naveen_ , you're secret's safe with me." An unexpected laugh that easily generated more in it's melodic wake. This wasn't the girl they were used to seeing in the halls, but it was a pleasant change. A welcomed one, really. "On a different note: this is the first time I've seen some of you girls without _Starbucks_ cups in your hands. And I'm honestly a little weirded out that you're able to actually sit still. Resting heart rate, it's strange isn't it?" The same girls that had sneered earlier were able to lighten up and even joined in with the chuckling crowd.

"I would like to have something insightful to say about the future, but the simple truth is...I'm terrified of it." A sharp sigh that caused a few students' eyes to glass over. "This may be the last time in a long time that any of us will see each other." Sniffles here and there. "But it's not the end." Quick save, so she didn't breakdown herself. "However, we _are_ at the end of our career as students. Now we have an opportunity. An opportunity to take on the world, pursue our passions and to quote, unquote _be a legacy._ "

"William Shakespeare and also Channing Tatum once said: ' _Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.'_ In life, we can't always care about being born great or having greatness thrust upon us, but always, _always_ remember that the opportunity to achieve greatness is within our grasp." Another encouraging smile graced full lips. "Despite the failures that you and I _will_ make and though we may be _average_ ," Hand quotes. "We find that the average _can_ achieve greatness. Whether recognized by the world or by just a few, it's there." Another shaky breath.

"My final and lowly partition is this: Regardless of your experiences here in the past years, we have shaped each other. For better or for worse. We all wore that uniform together, becoming strong capable individuals and that is due to the people you are sitting with right now." Gesturing to said crowd.

"Try to remember them as they are now and not the way they used to be when grudges were a thing and gossip reigned supreme. Life's too short for all that junk. Someone once said that our time here won't be remembered by grades, popularity, likes or favorites. It will be remembered by relationships. The kind of person you were, so I really hope you've come clean with some people you've done wrong or you'll be thinking about it until our ten year reunion where we will all be in different stages of our lives all over again. Apologies should never go out of style."

"But enough of that." A short chuckle. "I would like to truly thank all of you for giving me the honor of speaking on your behalf. But most importantly, being a great community to me for the last four years of my life. We have now all gone through high school (which is no easy feat.) Although the good new is: we did it together."

 _"Congratulations class of 2016!"_

* * *

END

* * *

 _A/N: And I believe that's it for Lentamente.^^_

 _I'd like to thank you all for sticking it out and reading this story! (Even if it lost it's sense along the way, heh.) Although, I DID know that I wanted to end it after the graduation sooo...yeah. Met that goal._  
 _By the way, it was intentional that this one stayed rated T. Why? Because it's honestly been forever and a half since I've written smut and I felt like if I had them make the love in this story it would have...been different. Had a different tone, I guess. Sorry to tease there. *shrugs*_  
 _Also: shout out to all the real Valedictorians out there! (I was ranked somewhere in the 20's I think.) Writing a speech isn't as easy as some make it look and I'm sorry if I screwed Elsa's speech up :b_

 _Again, thank you for reading, for the reviews and whatnot. You're all awesome._

 _Tootles~_

 _Oh yeah! There's possibly a sequel because there will more than likely be questions...So hit me (gently) with em and we'll see what I can do about it. Not to mention the big hormonal elephant in the room. You know what I'm talking about ;) so we'll deal with that in the best way we can when the time calls for it._  
 _As for this story, 'tis done. Capisce? *mwah* darlings._


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